Chuck vs the Jill Ride
by ersk4
Summary: Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."
1. Prologue

**CHUCK VS. THE JILL RIDE**

**SUMMARY:** Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own "Chuck," some other people own Chuck. But when I recall some of the things that they did in the first 2/3 of the third season, I don't think they deserve to own "Chuck." Then when I think about some of the things they did in the last 1/3 of season three and all of season four, I change my mind and think they do deserve to own "Chuck."

**PROLOGUE: - Rude But Not Lewd Awakening **

Chuck Bartowski opened his eyes.

Upon doing that, his first realization was that he didn't feel very good. He had a headache – a really bad headache. So bad that merely opening his eyes caused the headache to make its presence know by drilling pain into and, it seemed, far out of and beyond his forehead and eyes. Gritting his teeth to stifle a groan, he jammed his eyes shut and stayed as still as possible, hoping that the wave of pain would subside.

God, that hurt, he thought. The fact that it was now possible to form a complete sentence told him that the pain had faded away and he tried to recall what he had done that led to all of this.

The obvious answer – drinking. Had he gone to a party or bar-hopping and gotten drunk? So drunk that he was now lying on his back with his eyes jammed shut trying to avoid the pain of a hangover? He couldn't remember doing that. As a matter of fact, he couldn't remember much of anything. Thinking was still kind of difficult.

He opened his eyes slowly, trying to avoid another onset of pain, and naturally, in his current position – lying on his back – he saw a ceiling. A very unfamiliar looking ceiling.

Where am I? he wondered.

His eyes slowly darted around. It was slightly dark in wherever he was but he could still make out his surroundings. He was in a bed but not his bed. OK, unfamiliar ceiling and unfamiliar bed. Definitely not at home, he concluded. He tried to sit up and get a better look. And that rammed home the second realization – he was not alone. Wherever he was and whatever he had gotten himself into, someone was with him. His head had hurt so much and he had been so out of it, that it didn't really register with him that someone was pressed against him…on him…all over him.

His eyes glanced downward and he immediately saw blonde hair. Sarah! he thought happily. There was no mistaking that blonde hair. He'd recognize it anywhere. Chuck lifted up his head a bit more so that he could get a better look at her. Sarah was asleep and pressed against his right side and had her head on his chest, just under his chin. Her right arm lay across his chest and up to his shoulder which was clutched by her hand. And her right leg was over and around his right leg.

He leaned his head back against the pillow and almost shook his head in bafflement until pain reminded him not to. How could he not notice Sarah lying next to him until now? Then he couldn't help the big smile that broke across his face. Waking up in Sarah's arms was hardly anything to get upset about. Heck, it's cause for celebration, Chuck thought, I'll take waking up like this any day!

He glanced around the room again. Not at home nor at Sarah's hotel room. Hospital? he wondered. No, not a hospital room. This wasn't anything like a hospital room. He looked to his right and could see some furniture, furniture that he didn't recognize.

Then a word came to his mind. A word that both excited and frightened him. Did he dare even think of that possibility? He glanced around the room again, trying to make out what he could in the darkness. The furniture, decorations and décor confirmed that word that kept straying into his thoughts.

Motel…I'm in a motel room…I'm in a motel room with Sarah…I'm in a motel room bed with Sarah…I'm in a motel room bed with Sarah wrapped all around me….

He kept trying to remember how he might have gotten here but his thoughts were still jumbled and confused. What was I doing before this? What happened?

He glanced down at Sarah and started to shake her awake so that he could ask her what happened but then hesitated. Seeing the look of peace and relaxation on her face as she slept stopped him. With the life of a spy, Sarah Walker rarely had moments like those. But Chuck could see all of that right now and more as she lay there. It also pleased him that she looked like that while wrapped up with him.

Wait a minute! Peaceful? Content? As in satisfied? Did Sarah and I? Did we?

The thought of what might have happened, of what exactly he and Sarah had been doing in a motel room before he woke up just now occurred to him. Did he dare think that? Could it have happened? Could he and Sarah, as Casey would have put it, done the horizontal mambo?

And why am I thinking about Casey right now? Chuck groaned internally.

He glanced downward again and could see that he had on his clothes and so did Sarah. And we're _on_ the bed _not in_ the bed under the covers, Chuck added.

He felt more relief than disappointment. If anything more than sleeping had occurred between him and Sarah, he would have definitely wanted to remember _every_ second and detail of that. But as he glanced again down at Sarah's sleeping form and took in every inch of her beauty, he seriously doubted that he could forget about such a moment with her.

He kept looking at her face, enjoying the sight. She still slept and still looked so peaceful. He hated to move and awaken her but he really needed to find out what was going on. Maybe, just maybe, he could get up without waking her and take a look around and then figure out all of this.

He doubted he could do that. CIA Agent Sarah Walker's senses were extraordinary. But Chuck decided to try. He started to move and roll toward his left, away from Sarah.

Much to his surprise, he couldn't move. Something blocked and prevented him from moving in that direction. And that led to a third realization – he and Sarah were not alone. There was someone else with them.

Chuck had been so delighted at waking up and finding himself with Sarah that he had just assumed that all of what he felt pressed up against him and wrapped all around him was all Sarah. But now he realized that there was a lot more than Sarah wrapped around him. And that the hand clutching his left arm did _not_ belong to Sarah. Someone else was on bed with him and the CIA agent. And that someone was cuddled up against him on his other side, he realized.

With great dread and trepidation, Chuck turned his head to the left to see who.

Please don't be Casey, _please_ don't be Casey, he prayed.

It was not Casey. Not even close. Wrong face, wrong shape, wrong sex to be Casey. It was a woman and even though brunette hair covered her face, Chuck had no trouble recognizing her. He'd know this woman anywhere.

Jill!

Jill – his ex girl friend who broke his heart back at Stanford, the girl he briefly dated when she came back into his life a few months ago, the girl who turned out to be a Fulcrum agent and tried to kill Sarah, and the girl he was supposed to meet with – wait, meet with her? Yes, he was supposed to meet with Jill, he realized. That was it, that was the last thing he remembered. He was supposed to meet with Jill and then…then what happen?

He dropped his head back on the pillow and stared straight up at the ceiling, trying to decide if this was a dream or a nightmare. The last thing that he could remember was that he was supposed to meet with Jill. The meeting was about to take place and then there was that attack and then….

What happened after that? Chuck thought frantically.

He couldn't remember. He shook his head in frustration and a groan escaped from his mouth. Somehow, some way, he had ended up in a motel room, on top of a bed with both Sarah and Jill wrapped all over and on him.

Don't freak out! he told himself.

But he did.

"Holy crap!" Chuck exclaimed out loud.

**END PROLOGUE**

_ABOUT THIS STORY: I started writing this story after season two of Chuck ended. Then season three started and then Shaw started and I lost all enthusiasm for writing Chuck fan fiction. Then Shaw got killed in Paris and season three got better. And then season four was a big sigh of relief. So things were much nicer then. After that, while going through old files, I came across this story. Honestly, I'm still not sure about it. But I decided to go ahead and post the opening chapter. What do you think? Do you want to see more? Please review!_


	2. When A Bad Plan Goes Bad

**CHUCK VS. THE JILL RIDE**

**SUMMARY:** Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own "Chuck."

**NOTE:** Please review! I love reading your comments!

**CHAPTER 1 – WHEN A BAD PLAN GOES BAD**

_44 Hours Earlier_

From the beginning, at the start, at the mere mention of the plan, Sarah Walker was against it. She thought it was a bad idea, too risky, and wrong. Completely, totally, absolutely wrong. Casey cited her "girly feelings" which she expected him to do.

And truthfully, if Sarah were to be honest with herself, there were some "girly feelings" involved here. But that was only a part of why she was against this plan and strongly objected to and opposed it. At least she convinced herself that was only a part – a _small_ part – of her opposition. But "girly feelings" or not, there was still something about this plan that set Sarah's instincts on edge, that whispered to her that disaster was eminent with it.

It had all started when she and Casey were requested to meet in a video conference with General Beckman in the Castle headquarters underneath the Orange Orange. The general specified just the agents at this meeting, no Chuck or, as Beckman termed it, "No Intersect."

Once the general's face appeared on the screen, she told the pair about an assignment that would take place the next day. The Intersect would be escorted to a warehouse where he would meet with an informant who had "important and vital information" regarding Fulcrum operations.

Both Sarah and Casey were intrigued but they were also puzzled as to why Chuck was excluded from this meeting and said as much to the general. Who explained that this assignment had some factors that might personally affect the Intersect and she wanted Sarah and/or Casey to discuss those factors with the Intersect before the meeting in the warehouse took place.

"This source has stated that she would only talk to – _only_ – Mr. Bartowski."

"She?" Sarah inquired.

The general nodded. "It is an individual whom Mr. Bartowski is familiar with, painfully familiar with I believe. And both of you." The general paused as Sarah and Casey looked inquiringly at each other.

"The source, the individual with the important information is Jill Roberts, Mr. Bartowski's ex-girl friend."

Sarah's jaw dropped. Jill? Jill was involved with this? The mere mention of Chuck's ex-girl friend brought about rage and anger. Sarah immediately objected.

"General, I do not think this is a good idea."

Beckman's responding stare asked for the CIA agent to elaborate.

"Jill cannot be trusted. Surely you're not thinking of letting her near Chuck. That is dangerous on many levels." Sarah heard a slight smirk from Casey. She shot a dirty look at him.

"I am well aware of the risks involved with this, Agent Walker. However, I am told that the benefits of what information we could obtain far outweigh any risks. We need—"

"Chuck doesn't have to be involved with this. We can go without him, talk to Jill by ourselves," Sarah pointed out.

"Unfortunately, Ms. Roberts is adamant on Mr. Bartowski's involvement. She will only give the information to Mr. Bartowski and _only_ to Mr. Bartowski. Thus, his participation in this is vital."

"And that alone should tell you that something is not right here, General!" Sarah interrupted.

"Agent Walker! Your concerns are noted. And also, somewhat valid. I too do not like this situation. However, sources higher up than me are convinced that this information can be of great benefit to us." Beckman looked annoyed as she said that last part and both Sarah and Casey wondered if there was more to this than the general was saying.

But then, the military officer appeared in Beckman. "Thus, we're willing to deal with Ms. Roberts. And the decision has been made and this plan will go forward. I will be transmitting the details and you two are to prepare the Intersect for what must be done. That is an order!"

And before either agent could respond, the screen went blank.

Sarah turned toward Casey. "You of all people should know what a bad idea this is," she said.

"Walker, this isn't about your girly feelings."

"That has nothing to do with this," she fired back.

Casey shook his head in disbelief and smirked. "Yeah, right," he muttered. "Just like this has nothing to do with Jill Roberts being involved."

Sarah glared at the NSA agent. Her personal feelings had nothing to do with this, she thought. They didn't! This plan just felt wrong to her. And it had nothing to do with Jill being involved. It didn't, she kept insisting to herself.

Casey looked at Sarah with an amused expression. "Do you want to deliver the good news to Bartowski or should I?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The feeling that something was wrong about this whole thing nagged at Sarah even more after she talked with Chuck about the plan. Much to her surprise, he hardly had any reaction about meeting with Jill, his ex, again. And that bothered Sarah.

Months ago, when Chuck bumped into Jill at a conference and then had to date her to spy on her boss, he had not wanted to do that. Jill broke his heart, he said, and he didn't want to have her back in his life. But Jill did come back into his life, much to Sarah's dismay, and he started a relationship with her again. Then, Jill turned out to be a Fulcrum agent and Chuck realized he had once again been deceived by her.

And now he had to meet with the infamous ex again. Yet, Chuck didn't object nor complain. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then agreed to help with the plan.

"What?" Sarah asked incredulously.

"It sounds like this is important. So OK, I'll do it," he said.

Sarah couldn't believe it. No protests, no arguments, no hesitations. Something is not right here, she thought.

And she still had such thoughts the next day as she watched Chuck while they waited in the warehouse for the meeting to start. She, Casey and Chuck had arrived about a half-hour ago. There were already other NSA agents inside the warehouse as guards. They checked over the place and everything seemed secure. It all looked good. But Sarah still couldn't get rid of the bad feeling.

A table had been set up in the center of the warehouse and Chuck sat in front of it waiting. Since their arrival, he had spent most of the time sitting there. But now, he got up and stretched and walked around. Sarah studied him intently. He still didn't seem bothered by a meeting with Jill.

Sarah had not liked Jill even before she met the brunette. She still remembered shaking her head in disbelief and displeasure when she first read about the ex in Chuck's file when she had been assigned to protect him after he got the Intersect. She couldn't believe what Jill did to Chuck.

And then, after she got to know Chuck, her hatred for Jill increased more. And when Jill came back into his life, the brunette got a really special place in Sarah's hatred. She could still remember how much it hurt watching Chuck dating Jill and being so happy about it. But then it all turned dangerous when they discovered that Jill was a Fulcrum agent and she had to be arrested. And in the end Chuck captured Jill in the Nerd Herd vehicle and broke up with her at the same time. Sarah still recalled the joy and delight she felt when he did that. And that had been the end of it; no more Jill. Or so she thought.

Now here we are again, Sarah lamented.

Some other things she had found out earlier in the week regarding Jill, some things that she had wanted to confront Chuck about, compounded that ominous feeling. Sarah shook her head with disbelief as she gazed at Chuck sitting back down in the chair in front of the table, seeming quite calm as he put his hands behind his head and leaned back. What is going on? she asked herself. She walked over to him.

"Chuck," she said as she got near him. He turned his head to look up at her. "Are you OK?" she asked.

"Yeah…yeah…I'm fine," he said casually and turned his head back to the warehouse door.

Sarah reached over and grabbed his shoulder. "Chuck, look at me," she commanded. Once she had his attention, she spoke again. "What's going on?" she asked, studying him intently and looking for telltale signs of lying or something else.

"What do you mean?"

"Something is going on with you. I can tell. Now I want you to—"

She never got to finish the sentence as the warehouse door opened. Both Chuck and Sarah turned their heads to look. Through the door walked some guards escorting a handcuffed Jill. Sarah's grip on Chuck's shoulder tightened as she saw Jill's head turning in every direction, obviously searching for someone or something. The movement of her head stopped the second she spotted Chuck. Then a smile lit up her face. She said something to her guards and then started to walk forward. But one of the guards gripped her arm and stopped her.

Casey and another agent approached the group. They spoke. A few minutes later, all four escorted Jill toward the table in the center of the warehouse. And the whole time, her eyes never left Chuck.

"OK Chuck, it's time. You ready?" Sarah asked. She squeezed his shoulder to try to give him some reassurance. He sighed and then nodded. Together, they watched as Jill got closer to the table.

Seconds later, a deafening BOOM filled the warehouse. Debris, fire and smoke erupted from a side of a wall Instantly, Sarah grabbed Chuck and pushed him to the ground and covered him with her body, protecting him. Then she quickly scanned the area, trying to figure out what was going on as she pulled out her gun.

Where the explosion had occurred, the smoke cleared and there was now a large hole in the side of the wall. Dozens of some sort of objects flew through the hole and Sarah heard a series of popping noises. Then the warehouse started filling up with smoke. But it wasn't smoke.

Gas! she thought. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw men rushing through the hole wearing gas masks.

More popping noises occurred and more gas filled the warehouse. Chuck! Sarah thought. She had to get Chuck out of here. She looked around but could only see clouds of gas. It had become so thick, like a fog enveloping everyone and everything in the warehouse. Sarah couldn't see anyone. No sign of Casey or any other aid. She helped Chuck to his feet. He looked scared. She didn't blame him.

"Stick close to me," she ordered as she looped her arm through his.

The clouds of gas got thicker quickly and started causing effects. Both her and Chuck's eyes filled with tears, they coughed and they started to feel weak. An armed man in a gas mask burst through a cloud. Sarah swept her leg out and knocked him down. With him on the ground, she kicked him in the face. She reached down and tried to pull off his gas mask, intending to use it for herself. But she already felt weak from the gas and the fight exhausted her further. The room was spinning.

Chuck! she thought. She tried to look around her but the clouds were thick. No Chuck in sight. The room was spinning faster and she was gasping and coughing even more. Then things started to get dark and she could do nothing but fall. Her last thought before she blacked out was about Chuck.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah could feel herself regaining consciousness but she tried to remain still and keep her eyes closed. She listened to try to assess where she was. She could hear the hum of a car motor, the roll of tires along a road, the sound of other cars traveling alongside and nearby. Well, easy enough to figure out. I'm in a car, she realized. She kept her eyes closed and continued to pretend to be unconscious while she tried to find out more.

She could tell that she was sitting and that a seatbelt was on her. She didn't feel anything binding her hands, arms, legs or feet. She cautiously peaked with one eye for a few seconds. She was in the passenger side of the front seat. She could tell that her head was slightly turned toward the window. So her face was not facing the driver. She opened one eye again. She was in the van, the van that she and Casey used to drive Chuck to the rendezvous. Was Casey here? She decided to take a chance.

She opened both eyes and turned her head to the driver of the van. Who saw her right away and greeted her. "You're awake. Good!"

Sarah almost gasped in shock at seeing who the driver was. But instead, she uttered only one word.

"Jill!"

**END CHAPTER 1**

_NOTE: OK, OK, I know, I know. I'm bad for not having this chapter pick up where the last chapter left off. But I really did need to tell how Chuck, Sarah and Jill got there first. Right? Right? Please review!_


	3. Traveling the Highway

**CHUCK VS. THE JILL RIDE**

**SUMMARY:** Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own "Chuck."

**NOTE:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed. It's always great to read your comments!

**ANOTHER NOTE:** Some action and fighting scenes occur in this chapter. And action and fighting scenes aren't my strong points in stories. So I hope you can get through those.

**CHAPTER 2 – TRAVELING THE HIGHWAY**

"Jill!" Sarah said again after discovering that the brunette was driving the van. Once that shock was over, Sarah looked around in the vehicle. But there was no one else. It was just her and Chuck's ex.

What is going on? Sarah thought. How did I end up in a van going…? Where were they and where were they going? She looked out the window. They were on a highway, an interstate. And it looked like they were far from any major city limits.

"Where are…how did you…and…." Sarah sputtered. But then one thought shot through her mind like a lightning bolt. Chuck! Where was Chuck?

"Where's Chuck?" she demanded. She looked rapidly around the van again, hoping that she would see him somewhere. No Chuck.

"There!" Jill said suddenly. And she pointed toward the car dashboard. Sarah looked out the windshield but didn't see any sign of her curly-haired nerd. Just a few other cars and the road.

"Where?" she demanded again, glaring at Jill.

"There!" Jill said again, pointing again toward the dashboard. This time Sarah's eyes followed more closely to where Jill pointed. She wasn't pointing out the window. She was pointing at the small rectangular unit that was attached to dashboard. Sarah looked. The screen showed a grid of the highway and surrounding area. And on it, a small circular light blinked.

"A GPS tracker? You're tracking Chuck?" Sarah asked.

Jill nodded. "He's in a car up ahead. I'm staying back so that they won't notice us tailing them."

"They?"

"The people who took Chuck."

"Chuck is in a car ahead of us? You're sure Chuck is in that car?" Sarah asked.

"Positive. I've been tailing them from the warehouse since they grabbed him."

That was all Sarah needed to know. She reached into her pocket to get her iPhone and call for backup. But the iPhone wasn't there. She quickly looked around but didn't see it anywhere in the van.

"Where's my phone?" she asked.

"I got rid of it," Jill replied.

"What?"

"I got rid of it," she repeated. "It had to be done."

"And why exactly was it necessary to get rid of my phone? To prevent me from calling in for backup, for help in _rescuing_ _and_ _saving_ Chuck and keeping him from getting hurt or killed? Was that why it was necessary?" Sarah raged. She then noticed that her watch was gone. "And you got rid of my watch too?"

"You don't know what's going on? Do you?" Jill replied.

"I definitely know what's going on. You set up Chuck to get him out in the open where Fulcrum could kidnap him and now you're preventing me from getting him back safe and unharmed. Does that about sum it up?"

"As I said, you don't know what is going on."

"Then explain it to me," Sarah demanded.

"Well first, you're right. This whole thing was a setup. But it wasn't Fulcrum, it was the CIA that did this," Jill said.

"Excuse me?"

"You weren't ambushed by Fulcrum. It was the CIA who did this," Jill said again.

"Are you insane?" Sarah asked.

Jill sighed in exasperation. "About a week ago, someone from the CIA came to see me in prison. They had a deal for me. If I helped them, they would get me out of prison and I would be free. All I had to do was help them with a little project. I wondered why they came to me and what was going on. And then I saw that the little project involved Chuck."

"So they came to you because of your past relationship with Chuck," Sarah interjected.

Jill nodded. "All I had to do was play along with this little scenario they gave me in which I was supposed to give Chuck – only Chuck – some important information. They told me that I probably wouldn't even have to reveal the info they gave me because things would go down before that was necessary. And that's pretty much all I knew."

"So you were going to betray Chuck a third time," Sarah noted.

"I wanted out of prison!" Jill shouted.

"And never mind that it was at Chuck's expense."

"Right now, you are in a van that is in pursuit of Chuck. And we can rescue him and get him back. And may I also point out that you are alive. You may nor be if I hadn't taken the time to get you out of that warehouse during the attack," she said.

"And how exactly did you do that by the way?" Sarah asked.

"With all of the gas and explosions going on around me, it was really easy to move around, knock out the guard and get the keys to the handcuffs. Then I knocked out one of the attackers and got his gas mask. I was leaving when I came across you. So I got you out of there. I found the van outside and you had the keys in your pocket. So I got you into the van and sped after Chuck's kidnappers and I've been following them ever since. And you don't need to thank me. Quite frankly, the only reason I saved you was because Chuck would have never forgiven me if I hadn't and I need your help to rescue him," Jill said.

"Which I could get more help to do that _if_ you hadn't tossed my phone," Sarah pointed out.

"I TOLD YOU! The CIA is doing this. If you had your phone with you, they'd track and stop us and even kill us. Same thing with your watch. I had to toss your phone and watch out to keep them from finding us. We're on our own here. We can't trust anyone."

"Which means that I can't trust you," Sarah said.

Jill said nothing for a moment. She just stared straight ahead at the road. Then she sighed. "Then trust Chuck. We need to help him," she emphasized.

Sarah thought about that. She did want to rescue Chuck and get him back. If she could accomplish that, then she could deal with Jill later. The important thing was to get Chuck back. She looked at the tracking screen. "Where is Chuck?" she asked.

Jill pointed at the blinking dot on the screen. "He's in a blue car ahead of us. They grabbed Chuck at the warehouse and they all piled into that car and drove away from there. I managed to get you into the van and got it going not too long after that. I was able to catch up to them and I tailed them and I was careful. But I knew it was only a matter of time before they spotted me. But I got lucky. At one point, they pulled over for gas. I drove a little ways past them and then doubled back. There's all sorts of equipment in this van and I figured there had to be some tracking devices. And I was right. I found some trackers and then snuck up to the car and put some on it. Since then I've been able to tail them without getting too close."

"You were able to do all of that in your prison outfit?" Sarah asked, seeing the orange jumpsuit that Jill wore.

"I found that coat and put it on and it covered most of this stupid suit," Jill replied, pointing at a coat in the back. "And the place they pulled into was packed, it was really busy. There were lots of cars and lots of people inside and outside. So I got lucky."

Sarah wouldn't admit to the brunette but she was impressed. "How many are in the car with Chuck?" she asked.

"Four."

"And Chuck?"

"I'm pretty sure that he is fine. When I got close to the car while they were getting gas and drinks and stuff, I couldn't stick around for too long. So I didn't get a good look. But I'm pretty sure that they want him alive and unharmed."

"Do you have any idea where they are headed?"

Jill shook her head. "No. They've been on this interstate for about 30 minutes now."

"Which means that we have no idea how close we are to their destination," Sarah said. She thought about possible attack and rescue scenarios. The closer they got to their destination, where the kidnappers could have more help and who knows what else, the harder it would be to rescue Chuck. She needed to do something while the kidnappers were in the car. That way, she would know exactly where they were, how many to take out and where Chuck was. She glanced toward the back of the van. As far as she could tell, all of the equipment and gear that she and Casey normally stored in the car was there.

So there was a chance that she could rescue Chuck, if, and that was a pretty big _if_, they could get some sort of break or luck. Sarah looked out the windshield. Right now, I wait and see if that break will come, she thought.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah gazed at the car ahead, the car that held Chuck and wondered again if she should forget about waiting for the car to stop some place and just attack right now. But exactly what sort of action to take and how that action would not result in Chuck getting injured or killed was the problem.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Jill spoke. "Something's wrong ahead," she said.

Sarah looked. They were about to hit a traffic pileup on the highway. Cars were backed up and at a standstill. They weren't moving. Sarah tried to look further down the highway for the cause of the problem. All she saw was more cars waiting. She searched for the car that Chuck was in. It was about five cars up ahead.

"This may be our chance. We may want to make our move now," Sarah declared. She crawled over the seats to the back of the van. "Keep an eye on what's going on while I look for some gear," Sarah commanded.

She searched through the equipment in the van. If this traffic jam keeps up, then she had the perfect attack and rescue scenario. The break she so desperately craved to give her a chance to get Chuck may have come through. She pulled out what she needed and then got back to the front seat.

"What do we do?" Jill asked.

"I'm going to get out and sneak up behind their car. I'll make some distractions and then get Chuck," Sarah explained. She glanced to the right side. The highway's shoulder was pretty wide, more than wide enough for the van. "When I have Chuck, you drive up to us on the shoulder, let us in and then we get out of here."

"You're going to need help," Jill said.

"I can handle this myself. You just have this van up there when I have Chuck and get us out of here," Sarah insisted.

"You're going to need help," Jill insisted.

"_I will handle this!_ You stay here! Somebody needs to stay in the car and be there to pick us up and get us the hell out of here. You move up when I have Chuck. And you move quickly!"

Without waiting for an answer from Jill, Sarah got out of the car and moved toward the vehicle Chuck was in. She stayed on the shoulder. Hardly anyone gave her more than a passing glance as all of the cars were stopped and waiting and quite a few other people had stepped out of their vehicles to look. She tried to walk casually, acting like she was trying to get a better view of the highway to see what was causing the pileup like other people were doing. She resisted an urge to look back and check on Jill in the van. So help me, if that bitch drives off and leaves Chuck and me stranded, that's it, I will kill her the next time I see her, Sarah vowed.

She walked toward the car which was in the same lane as the van, the far right lane, the one next to the shoulder. As she walked, several times she had to dodge cars that had gotten on the shoulder and sped toward an exit up ahead that led off of the highway. Sarah looked. That exit was about a quarter of mile past the car that had Chuck. So if she could get Chuck out of there and over to the shoulder and Jill was there when she did, they could get off this highway and out of here. She looked at the car that had Chuck. She could see five figures in the car. Two in the front and three in the back. She figured that Chuck had to be the one in the middle in the back seat.

When she was about two car lengths from them, she crouched down as if to tie her shoelaces and looked around. No one still paid her any mind. She pulled out a smoke grenade, jerked out the pin and then rolled it toward a vehicle near the car that had Chuck. It stopped right under the car. Smoke poured out from the grenade and rose up along the sides of the car.

Suddenly everyone's attention focused on the smoking car. One driver to the left honked his horn and waved. "Hey! Your car's on fire!" People in cars near and far stared and shouted. Sarah could see the four men in the car looking sideways, trying to figure out what was going on.

Sarah then got out another smoke grenade and rolled it under another car to keep a distraction going.

With everyone's attention focused on possible car fires and many people getting out of their cars to look and render aid, it was easy for Sarah to jog up behind the car that had Chuck. She took out a flash grenade. She pulled the pin and tossed it onto the hood of the car and dropped and shielded her eyes.

The flash went off and she could hear not only the men in the car screaming but also some other drivers and passengers in nearby cars. She pulled out another smoke grenade and tossed it under a nearby car hoping it would create more distraction and panic.

She then stood up and rushed to the driver's side of the car.

Both men on the driver's side of the car were getting out. As the man from the back seat stepped out, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head, he never saw Sarah coming and she quickly kicked and hit him into unconsciousness. One down, three to go.

The driver had just stepped out from the front seat. She gripped his head and slammed it against the car. He fell to the ground and didn't get up. Two down, two to go. "We got company! We're under attack!" one man on the passenger side of the car yelled. Her advantage of surprise was gone. She knew she had to move fast.

Sarah lunged through the open car door and into the back seat. Chuck was there, sitting up in the middle of the seat but unconscious. One man was on the other side and he dug under his coat, going for his gun. With her gun already pulled out, Sarah could have shot both him and the man in the front seat but she couldn't risk hitting Chuck. She swung her gun and got the man in the back seat full in the face. Three down, one to go.

She swung the other way toward the front seat. She hit her target but not as solidly as the other. The man managed to move and didn't receive the full force of her swing. But he was stunned. Sarah grabbed Chuck and pulled him out of the car. But when she emerged from the back seat, she got the full force of all of Chuck's weight and she fell to the ground with him on top of her.

Smoke still blew around cars from the smoke grenades that Sarah had thrown. People were still shouting and moving around, trying to figure out what was going on. It looked as few if any had noticed the battle that was going on between Sarah and the kidnappers.

Sarah rolled Chuck over. He was still unconscious. She made sure he wasn't in the path of any car and then leaped up to face the fourth man. He was already up, on the other side of the car and pointed a gun from across the car hood. Now people in other cars noticed something going on. Sarah could hear some screams and cries of "He's got a gun!" behind her.

"Hey Walker!" he sneered.

Sarah's jaw dropped in shock. She knew this man. He was a CIA agent. She had worked on a couple of cases with him years ago. What was his name? Bennet? Berrill?

"Working for Fulcrum now?" Sarah accused.

The man shook his head. "We're not traitors Walker. We were just following orders. Your asset here isn't going to be harmed. In fact, he's going to be better off than before."

"What are you talking about?"

Before the man could answer, Sarah heard the roar of a car engine, screeching of tires and then saw the van slam into the man. He went flying in one direction and his gun in another. Sarah looked and saw Jill frantically waving for her to hurry. Four down, none to go.

Sarah instantly crouched down, grabbed one of Chuck's arms, slung it over her shoulder, pulled him up and struggled over to the van. It seemed to take forever but she finally got to the side door, jerked it open, pushed Chuck in, leaped in herself and pulled the door shut. A second later, Jill drove the car down the shoulder of the road all the way to an exit where she pulled off the interstate. Cars were lined up on the access road after the exit but Jill once again maneuvered the car over to the shoulder and raced off.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah lay Chuck down in the back and lowered his head into her lap. She checked him over, looking for wounds, cuts or any type of injury. She found none. He appeared to just be asleep courtesy of some drugs that his abductors had no doubt pumped into him.

Holding his head in her lap and gazing down at him, she let out a long sigh of relief. He was all right and safe…safe with her. She reached down with her hand and stroked his head and hair. All sorts of emotions raced through her. Fear and panic at the thought of losing Chuck and never seeing him again. And relief and gratitude because she now had him back safely with her. Well, not just her, she amended as she glanced up and saw Jill watching in the rearview mirror. And Jill did not look pleased – anything but!

"Shouldn't you be keeping your eyes on the road?" Sarah asked.

"Shouldn't you be keeping your hands to yourself," Jill retorted.

Feelings of anger and territoriality welled up in Sarah. She wanted to scream at the brunette bitch, a description that she had used all too frequently for Jill. When have you ever been concerned about Chuck? When you were in college and broke his heart? When you were in Fulcrum and nearly got him and me killed? Glaring back at Jill's face in the mirror, she stroked Chuck's hair and face again, slowly and deliberately. She loved touching his hair and the way it caused Jill to cast hateful looks at her right now made it all the more fun for Sarah.

Jill's hateful expression increased. She looked ready to kill. But Sarah ignored her and just concentrated on Chuck. There was no way to tell how long he would be out from the drugs they gave him. That concerned her. But something else also concerned her. One of those men that kidnapped Chuck was CIA. Were the others CIA too? And the way that one man talked about them not being traitors but following orders. Was Jill right? Was the CIA behind this kidnapping?

"I need a phone," Sarah said.

"I don't think calling anyone is a good idea. I told you that the—"

"I know what you said. And that's what I have to find out. So we need to find a phone," Sarah replied.

"Well, we may find a convenience store or gas station along this road. But there may not be a phone. A lot of those places have removed their pay phones because most people have cell phones now," Jill pointed out. "But if they don't have a pay phone, they probably sell some phones. So we could buy one and then dump it after we use it."

"Let's just find a phone some place," Sarah insisted.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

About 10 miles down the road, they found a convenience store/gas station. Fortunately, it had a public phone outside that still was in operation. Jill parked the car, turned off the engine and immediately got out. "You go ahead and make your call. I'm going to check on Chuck," she said as she moved to the back area. She sat down, grasped Chuck's head and moved it from Sarah's lap to her lap. Then she looked up at Sarah. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go make your call!" Jill directed.

Sarah gritted her teeth together and managed to refrain from an angry and loud retort. And when Jill started stroking Chuck's hair, Sarah had to will herself not to punch the brunette. She stared with resentment at Jill holding Chuck and stroking his hair. But Jill ignored her. Sarah finally got up and started to leave the car. She stopped and then reached over to the driver's seat and got the keys from the ignition. Then she left the car.

"Still don't trust me Agent Walker?" Jill called after her.

Sarah ignored the comment and tried to control her rage. Part of her questioned the jealousy that welled up in her. She and Chuck weren't a real couple, weren't together…at least not anything official. But still, Chuck was…what was Chuck to her? How could she define what she and Chuck felt for each other and thought of each other? A voice in the back of her mind told her that what she felt for Chuck was so easily defined, if – IF – she would just admit it to herself.

She pushed aside that voice as she walked up to the pay phone. She pulled out some change, deposited it, and dialed Casey's phone. The phone rang three times and then she heard Casey answer gruffly.

"Casey's, it's me. I—"

Before she could get another word out, Casey said "Code purple!" and hung up.

Sarah stood there in shock for a few seconds. Casey said it. She heard it. She did not imagine it. She slammed down the phone, dashed back to the car and jerked the driver's side door open.

She jumped in, slammed the door shut, quickly put the keys in the ignition, started the car and sped out of the parking lot and down the road as quickly as she could.

"What's going on?" Jill cried in alarm. "What happened?"

Sarah swallowed and tried to calm herself before answering. "You were right," she said simply and didn't say anything more. Jill looked at her strangely.

Sarah didn't blame Jill. To the brunette, Sarah's face probably looked panicky. And truthfully, Sarah felt panicky right now as those two words that Casey uttered, "Code purple," kept repeating in her mind.

Code purple: The code words for trust no one and protect the asset. Go off grid if necessary but trust no one and protect the asset.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The first thing Sarah did was find another car. They had to get out of and get rid of the van as soon as possible. In a town about 10 miles from where Sarah made that phone call, she found a bar with a parking lot full of cars.

Picking the lock and getting the car going was the simple thing. The hard part to Sarah was what to do with Jill. They needed to drive away from the lot with both cars at the same time. Sarah would drive one car and Jill the other since Chuck was still unconscious. Sarah immediately transported Chuck into the car she stole. She would drive that car; there was no doubt in her mind about that. But could she trust Jill to follow in the van to a place where they could get rid of that car?

Eventually, the CIA agent decided that it didn't matter if Jill followed her or not. If Jill chose to escape and drive off, all the better. Then she and Chuck would be on their own and rid of Jill. If Jill chose to follow, then Sarah could get rid of the van, lessen the odds of their being tracked, and deal with Jill later.

And that's what they did. Sarah drove the car she stole, with Chuck unconscious in the back seat, and Jill followed in the van. They drove outside of the town to a deserted area, thick with trees. Seeing no cars coming from either way, Sarah pulled over and parked. Jill stopped the van behind her and killed the engine.

Sarah got out and went to the passenger side of the van and got in. "Move the van as deep into there as you can," she ordered Jill while pointing toward the woods.

"Why?" Jill asked, puzzled.

"Just do it!"

Jill did. Once satisfied that the van was out of sight from the road. Sarah told her to stop the car and turn it off. She went to the back of the van, gathered up what equipment she thought useful and pulled it out. She then removed the license plates off of the van.

"Out," she commanded Jill. She pointed at the bags of equipment she had taken from the van. "Grab one of those bags and take it to the other car."

Sarah grabbed the other bag and followed Jill.

"We're just going to abandon the van?" Jill asked as they walked to the other car.

"It's too risky. That's a CIA-issued vehicle. So we're abandoning it and going with this car until we can get another one."

Jill smirked. "So you finally believe me Agent Walker."

"I don't know what to believe. But I do know that Chuck is in danger and he needs to be protected. And that is my main concern," Sarah replied.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

They drove for hours, sticking to the back roads and traveling through small towns and avoiding interstates and major highways. Sarah did the driving, not ready to trust Jill to do that. Eventually, as night came, exhaustion caught up with Sarah and she knew that she couldn't go on much longer. She glanced in the rearview mirror. Chuck was still out. She glanced at Jill on the passenger side. Jill also looked exhausted.

"I don't think either one of us is in any shape to drive much longer. We need to stop and get some rest," Jill declared.

Sarah didn't say anything but she knew that Jill was right. It was almost 11 pm and they had been going non-stop for most of the day and all of the evening. They had to find a place to rest.

About 20 minutes later, they spotted a small, non-chain motel in a town. The door for the front office was locked but a buzzer could be rung to get assistance. After a few rings, a sleepy-faced man appeared in the office, opened up a transaction window, confirmed that they had a room available, muttered the price, took Sarah's cash, handed them a key and without a "Thank you!" or further comment, shut the transaction window and left. Sarah drove the car around back and then she and Jill moved Chuck into the room. It had only one bed, a queen size which they immediately set Chuck on.

Sarah stared at Chuck's sleeping form on the bed. She glanced around the motel room. There was a large chair. The floor had carpeting and didn't look too dirty. She looked at Chuck and then looked back at Jill who was standing on the other side of the bed.

They stared at each other for a few moments. Then Jill finally broke the silence.

"Do whatever you want Agent Walker, because I'm too exhausted to care. I'm going to sleep. And I'm going to sleep with Chuck. Where you want to sleep is up to you," she declared.

And with that, Jill took off her shoes and got on the bed beside Chuck. She immediately snuggled up to the left side of him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Sarah felt fury building up inside of her and nearly grabbed Jill and hurled her off the bed. That woman was with Chuck, _her_ Chuck. Sarah quickly took off her shoes and then got on the bed on the other side of the curly-haired nerd. She scooted against him, pressing herself as much against his right side as possible and she hooked one of her legs over his. Jill said nothing. Sarah closed her eyes. She fell asleep in seconds.

**END CHAPTER TWO**


	4. Where Do We Go From Here?

**CHUCK VS. THE JILL RIDE**

**SUMMARY:** Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own "Chuck."

**NOTE:** I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review!

**CHAPTER 3 - WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?**

"Holy crap!" Chuck repeated as he lay in bed with Sarah plastered against him on one side and Jill on the other side. Past events suddenly flooded his mind. Now he remembered! He was supposed to meet with Jill in that warehouse and get, what he had been told, was important information regarding Fulcrum. But they had been attacked. There was all of that gas and confusion and Sarah tried to help him and then…then what happened? His mind was a blank after that. But he had gone from a warehouse filled with gas and spies to a motel room bed with Sarah and Jill. How did that happen?

Well, it definitely wasn't a dream. He knew that much. Having dreams of being in a bed with two women definitely did _not_ turn out like this, he thought. He tried to move again and this time, Sarah awoke. She opened her eyes and her head shot up when she saw him.

"Chuck! You're awake!" she said softly. And then she smiled. But as her eyes moved to Chuck's left, her expression darkened.

"Chuck!" Jill's voice exclaimed from that direction.

Chuck turned his head. Jill smiled. Then she frowned as her eyes moved to Chuck's right.

Chuck didn't say anything. He looked at Jill and then slowly turned his head back to the right and looked at Sarah. The two were in a face-off right above him. Neither looked happy. Chuck tried to think of something to say to ease the tension and end the lethal staring match. But before he could come up with anything, Sarah spoke.

"I need to talk to Chuck," she said firmly.

"Go right ahead, what's stopping you?" Jill countered.

"I need to talk to Chuck _alone_," Sarah replied.

"Ladies, how about we—" Chuck attempted as he started to rise up from the bed.

But a "Quiet Chuck! I'll handle this!" from Sarah and her firm hand shoving him back down onto the bed waylaid any mediation on his part.

"Out Jill! Go take a walk or something while I go over some things with Chuck!" Sarah commanded.

"Who do you think you are Agent Walker? Who put you in charge?" Jill argued.

It all felt like a movie or cartoon to Chuck as he could only watch and turn his head from one direction to the other as Sarah and Jill argued right above him. He wondered if he should be worried or concerned about the position he was in right now and the possibility of the two breaking out into a fight or struggle. It also occurred to him that some men would be envious of the very position that he was currently in. But Chuck certainly didn't feel lucky or fortunate right now.

He tried again to intercede. "Jill," he started.

"Shut up Chuck!" Jill commanded without so much as glance Chuck's way as she continued to look hatefully at Sarah.

"HEY!" Sarah countered. "Don't you talk to him like that!"

"Sarah," Chuck tried.

"Shut up Chuck!" she ordered. Then she turned back to Jill. "OUT! I need to talk to Chuck."

Jill snorted. "I'm not leaving Agent Walker."

"I am Chuck's handler and I need to talk privately with him."

"Well you certainly did HANDLE him well Agent Walker when you think about the mess that we are in right now."

"And how did we end up in this mess Jill? How exactly did we wind up here out in the middle of nowhere on our own? Who caused this? Who got us into this? If it wasn't for you Jill, we wouldn't even be—"

"May I remind you that if it wasn't for me, you might not be alive right now Agent Walker. I saved your life, saved it twice, remember? And may I also remind you that if it wasn't for me then Chuck would not be here, safe and alive. So if you need to talk to Chuck, you can also talk to me."

Sarah didn't think that she could feel any angrier than she already did. But she had quickly learned in the last encounter with Jill to never underestimate the effects that Chuck's ex and seeing Chuck with her had on her. She was _so_ close to decking the brunette. But before she could say or do anything, Chuck spoke.

"What do you mean saved your life? Sarah?" Chuck asked as he twisted to rise and sit up on the bed, He turned toward Sarah and touched her face. "Are you hurt? Are you all right?"

Sarah said nothing. Instead, she leaned into his touch, relishing the feel of his hand and his concern. They both felt…wonderful. Her anger quickly faded as she enjoyed Chuck's attention.

"Sarah? Are you OK?" he repeated. His eyes were filled with alarm and worry.

God, he is wonderful, she thought to herself. He was gassed, drugged, kidnapped and unconscious and he's more concerned about me than himself. She loved his attention and seeing Jill's reaction to it. She reached up and grasped his hand. "I'm fine," she said with a smile.

"Fine?" he repeated with a skeptical look on his face.

Her smile got even wider as she had to repress a giggle. Her standard "Fine" response always did annoy Chuck. She squeezed his hand. "Really, really Chuck. I'm fine. Just a few bruises and maybe some scratches. Stop worrying, OK?"

He let out a breath in relief. "All right…good…that's good news," he said. Then his eyes scanned around the motel room, at Sarah and then at Jill, who he noticed still looked angry. He needed to defuse this.

"Now, can the two of you please tell me why the three of us are in a bed in a motel room," he asked with some trepidation. "Fully clothed in bed that is," he immediately added.

"We're on the run Chuck," Jill answered.

"On the run?" He looked puzzled as he repeated those words. He looked at Jill for a moment and then turned to Sarah. He looked inquiringly at her. Sarah nodded her head in confirmation.

He looked back at Jill and then back at Sarah. "And why are we on the run?" he asked slowly.

Sarah sighed. "What's the last thing you remember Chuck?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah told Chuck everything that happened from the time that he blacked out at the warehouse to their current situation. And Jill interjected many times. Chuck said nothing and just let both women talk. His expression changed a lot while they explained things, Sarah noticed. Concern, anger, distress, puzzlement and disbelief all appeared on his face at one time or another as he heard what happened. When they finished, he didn't say anything. He just seemed to be deep in thought as he took it all in.

Then he turned to Jill.

"Is that on the level?" he asked the brunette. "What you told Sarah?"

Jill looked hurt. "Chuck? How could you—"

"Jill!" Chuck interrupted. He held up one finger. "Let's _not_ have that discussion again, OK? I thought we came to an agreement on that."

Jill stayed silent for a moment after he finished.

Discussion? Sarah thought. More evidence to confirm her suspicions about why Chuck had not been nervous at all about meeting with Jill in the warehouse. She needed to talk to him about this but it needed to be just the two of them. And when could they do that with this brunette bitch here? She glanced over at Jill.

Jill sighed and then said "It's on the level. I promise"

Chuck looked satisfied with Jill's answer. Then he turned to Sarah. "Have you been able to find out anything?" he asked.

This time it was Sarah's turn to sigh. "It's on the level Chuck," she said. "What exactly is going on, I'm not sure. But the men that took you were CIA. And that one agent said that they were taking you to protect you. I know him, I worked some cases with him. And I don't think he's Fulcrum, I don't think he would join them."

"So the CIA may be the ones who tried to kidnap me?" Chuck asked.

Sarah hesitated. In spite of all that she had seen and heard, she still had trouble believing it. "It's…possible," she told Chuck hesitatingly.

Chuck looked aghast. "Why would they kidnap me?"

"I don't know. Maybe they decided that they wanted complete control of the…." She stopped, not wanting to say "Intersect" with Jill around. So she looked at Chuck pointedly and then continued. "The _project_, maybe they wanted complete control of the project and decided to just take matters into their own hand."

"And they tried to kidnap me to do that? Can't they ask first? Don't they have to do some paperwork first? Can't they—"

"Chuck! As I said, I don't know what exactly is going on. But I do know that you are in danger. So we can't trust…well, we need to keep off the grid for right now," Sarah said.

Chuck looked at Jill and then back at Sarah. "And you're sure about that?" he asked.

Sarah nodded. "After Casey and I were assigned to you, we worked out some codes and other things in case…well, in case of a situation like this. And when I called Casey after we rescued you, he gave me one of those code phrases. So Jill is right. This situation is for real and we need to stay off the grid for right now."

Chuck stared off into space for a moment. "We have met the enemy and it is us," he muttered.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Each of them took a turn showering. And after that, they sat in the motel room planning. Sarah noted that they would need to get rid of the car they had stolen as soon as possible and get another car before the police got alerts out. Jill pointed out that she needed some clothes so that she wouldn't have to wear her prison overalls any longer. They all needed some clothes if they were going on the run. And they would need things like toothpaste, tooth brushes, and other items. Chuck ended up making a list and after talking and planning for almost 30 minutes, he had a whole page filled up with items-to-get.

"I just thought of something that may be a problem," he said while scanning the list.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"Money, we need money. If we use credit cards, they'll track us and…."

"Don't worry about money. I have us covered," Sarah replied.

Both Chuck and Jill looked at her curiously. "I have an ATM card and a couple of credit cards set up under another name. They won't trace them to me. I always keep those with me in case of an emergency," she explained.

"An emergency like…this?" Chuck asked.

Sarah nodded. "So we can get money from any ATM or use the credit cards anywhere. They're safe. Don't worry."

"OK then. I guess we had better go find a store and get this stuff," Chuck said while waving the list.

Sarah got up. "No problem. There's a Large-Mart just down the street. I spotted it on the way in. Let's go," she said.

Jill got up too but Sarah stopped her. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Sarah asked the brunette.

She looked at Sarah, puzzled. Sarah indicated the prison overalls. "You'll draw attention, especially the wrong kind of attention going out in those," Sarah said. "So you had better wait here."

Jill frowned. "And then you and Chuck will take off without me," she accused.

"Jill!" Chuck exclaimed. He frowned at his ex-girl friend. "No, we would not!"

"Well I know you wouldn't Chuck. I have no doubt in my mind about that. But I wouldn't put it past Agent Walker to try something like that," Jill said.

Sarah didn't say anything. That accusation has some merit, she admitted to herself, because the idea had actually occurred to her.

"Jill, we will be right back, I promise," Chuck said.

"I know you will because I'm going with you. You and I can go to the store and she can wait here," Jill declared.

"I don't think so," Sarah immediately responded. She gestured again at Jill's prison overalls. "You can't go out in those. You have to wait here until we bring you back some clothes."

"I will wait in the car," Jill replied.

"That's certainly a switch," Chuck muttered.

Jill looked at him, puzzled.

"Never mind," he said. "It's just a private joke."

Sarah almost smiled. Then she turned to Jill. "You'll still draw attention in the car. You'll have to wait here."

"No way am I letting you go off alone with Chuck," Jill declared. She glared at Sarah. "You go to the store and get the clothes and supplies and Chuck and I will wait here for you."

Not a chance in hell, Sarah thought. But out loud, she replied: "And then you'll take off with Chuck and leave me behind."

"Sarah! No, we would not!" Chuck said.

"Like her Chuck, I trust you but I don't trust her," Sarah said. Then she turned and looked at Jill. "Well, then I guess we don't get any clothes or supplies. I guess we all just sit here."

Silence reigned for a few moments. Then Chuck declared, "No, we don't all just sit here. I'll go get the clothes and supplies. I'll go alone and you two wait here. It's the easy solution."

Both Sarah and Jill exclaimed his name at the same time and started protesting. He held up his hands for quiet. "Now everybody knows that I _will_ come back, that I won't take off and run. So it's the only thing to do," he said.

He sat down on the bed and started putting on his Converses.

"Chuck, I don't know about that. You'll be out there by yourself and it may not be safe," Sarah warned.

"Have you seen any signs of tails or that anyone knows where we are?" Chuck asked.

Sarah shook her head.

"Then it's safe," he said. He stood up once his shoes were on and held out his hand to Sarah. "Could you give me that ATM card and the code and the car keys, please?"

Sarah gave them to him…reluctantly. He took them and then headed toward the door. Then he stopped and turned to Jill as he pulled the list and a pen out of his pocket. "I almost forgot. Jill, what are your sizes?" She told him and he wrote them down. Then he started to leave again.

"Chuck!" Sarah called out. "You'll need my sizes too," she said annoyed and a little hurt that he didn't think to ask her.

"Not to worry Sarah, I got you covered. Well, I didn't mean that I was going to cover you…I meant…never mind, I know your sizes, don't worry," he said.

"You know my sizes?" Sarah said in surprise.

"Sure! Remember? I bought that dress for you for your reunion," he replied.

"Chuck, that was just a dress. You'll need to know—"

He then rattled off the sizes of every article of clothing that she could wear and possibly wear. Sarah was surprised and flattered. The thought of Chuck knowing little things like that about her filled her with warmth. She looked at him fondly, hoping to catch his eye before he left. But then she saw Jill glaring at her.

"OK then," Chuck declared as he walked out the door, not noticing either woman's look. "I'm off and I'll be back as quick as I can."

And then Sarah and Jill were alone in the room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah parted the curtains on the motel room's window and gazed outside. That had quickly become a habit the second after Chuck went to the store to get supplies. She was constantly checking for him. She knew it was too soon for him to get back from the store. It had been about 40 minutes. The Large Mart was just down the street but even with that, Sarah figured that it would take Chuck at least an hour to get there, get clothes and other supplies, and return to the motel room.

At least an hour, Sarah thought, maybe longer, probably much longer.

So she knew it was too soon to be looking out the window for Chuck. But she couldn't help it. She was worried. Worried that she had made a big mistake in letting him go off on his own. She should have gone with him. She should be by his side, protecting him, making sure that he was safe.

She glanced at Jill who sat in a chair on the other side of the motel room. Since Chuck had left, neither woman had said a word to the other. Sarah looked out the window again while Jill stood up and went to the television, grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. She channel surfed until settling on some travel documentary.

The TV was the only noise in the room for a while until Jill suddenly spoke up.

"Just say it."

"Excuse me?" Sarah asked.

"Whatever you want to say, just say it," Jill said firmly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Look, we're doing this for one reason and one reason only – Chuck. And while I don't expect us to be friends—"

"You got that right!" Sarah snapped.

Jill let out a sigh of frustration before she continued. "And while I don't expect us to be friends, we can at least be civil with each other while we're doing this. So if you could ease up on the dirty looks you keep giving me, that would be appreciated. And if talking about whatever is on your mind will help stop those dirty looks, then by all means, let it out."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sarah retorted.

Jill's head turned away from the television screen and she looked at Sarah with contempt in her eyes. The brunette remained quiet as if waiting for Sarah to speak up. Then she rolled her eyes and started talking again.

"Well then let me explain it to you Agent Walker. I'm talking about whatever it is that you're thinking when you give me those dirty looks. Meaning the dirty looks that you have been giving me ever since Chuck went to the store. They are the same dirty looks you've given me ever since you woke up in the car yesterday. And they are also the same dirty looks that you gave me when I got back together with Chuck months ago. And frankly, I'm getting tired of them. So whatever you want to say to me Agent Walker, say it and get it over with."

Sarah said nothing and turned away, choosing to stare out the window instead of having any further conversation with Jill.

"You might as well say it Agent Walker. I'm just going to keep bugging you until I find out why you're giving me those dirty looks," Jill said.

"FINE!" Sarah snapped as she turned back to glare at Jill. "When I was assigned to Chuck, I was given a file on his background. You were in that file. It didn't say much, just listed you as an ex-girl friend. But then as I got to know Chuck and his sister and his friends, I heard more and more about you. And the more I got to know Chuck and the more I found out about you, the more I…."

Sarah trailed off in her rant. The anger had built up in her to a point where she was now almost sputtering in fury. She paused a moment to try to regain control. But control was hard to gain. For some time, she had wanted to have this confrontation with Jill. It had been a long time in the making. And now that she finally had the chance, it felt hard to form the words. Finally, she just blurted it out.

"I do not understand how you could do what you did to Chuck back in college! Chuck is the sweetest, kindest, greatest guy I have ever known. And for you to break up with him and break his heart like you did in college – that was just one of the most cruelest and heartless acts I have ever seen. I will never understand how you could have done that to him – ESPECIALLY TO HIM! AND THEN YOU DID IT TO HIM AGAIN!"

Sarah had shouted those last words at the brunette. She surprised herself at how angry and furious she felt when confronting Jill about this. But she didn't care. For so long, she had heard so much from Ellie about the infamous Jill and how heartbroken Chuck was about her. And she had sometimes seen herself the looks of despair and sadness that formed on Chuck's face at the mere mention of the ex's name. And when Jill came back into his life that time and Sarah got to see the woman first hand and then had to see Jill betray Chuck again…it was just too much, way too much. She wanted to know why this woman had treated Chuck like that. And she wanted to know right now.

But Jill said nothing for a moment and just stared at the TV screen. When she finally spoke, she continued to stare at the TV, choosing not to look at Sarah.

"I didn't have any choice in breaking up with Chuck back in college. Fulcrum made me do it. I didn't want to break up with him. But I had to. They forced me. And while I don't expect you to believe me, joining Fulcrum was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. And breaking up with Chuck was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I loved Chuck and hurting him was the last thing I ever wanted to do. If there was any way I could go back and change anything in my life, that would definitely be at the top of my list."

"Do you know how heartbroken he was after you did that? Do you really know what you did to him?"

Jill turned her head to glare at Sarah. "I said that I didn't have any choice Agent Walker! I was forced to do what I did!"

"Were you forced that second time? You didn't have to go out with Chuck on that date. You didn't have to start another relationship with him. Yet you did and you broke his heart again. Chuck didn't deserve that. Especially Chuck. You had choices Jill and you made those choices. And every time you chose to hurt Chuck," Sarah said giving the brunette one of those dirty looks that she complained about earlier. "And you want to know something else? Frankly, after meeting you and getting to know you, I have no idea why it took him so long to get over you."

At first, Jill's only reaction was a furious expression. She stayed quiet for a while. Then she took a deep breath as if to try to calm herself before speaking again. "You're right. Chuck didn't deserve that. And you're right. Chuck is the sweetest, kindest, greatest guy I have ever known. But just why was it such a crime that when I spotted him at the conference that I wanted to see him again? And for the record Agent Walker, he called me. I didn't call him for a date."

Sarah was tempted to point out to Jill that Chuck had been ordered by General Beckman to call for a date and that was the only reason he did. But she was too curious to hear what Jill had to say to interrupt.

The brunette paused, ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "You don't know how happy and delighted I was when he called and asked me out. I thought I might have another chance. But then it turned out that he was using me, trying to find out things out about my boss, and—"

"Chuck _never_ used you!" Sarah protested. "That was real to him. He did want you back and he wanted another chance with you. At least he did until he found out you were a Fulcrum agent and that you were using him. And even after all that, he was going to help you, he was going to help you escape. But then you tried to kill me and—"

"I know Agent Walker, I know. I can still recite his speech after he locked me in the Nerd Herd car even after all this time. Believe me, I have never forgotten it and I never will forget it. I said it before and I'll say it again: breaking up with Chuck was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made and one of my biggest regrets. And that's why I'm hoping to get him back."

"WHAT?" Sarah exclaimed. Over my dead body, she immediately thought and turned to Jill and gave her a deathly glare. "You honestly think that Chuck would consider getting back together with you a third time? After all you did to him? Do you really think Chuck would do that?"

"And why not? Do you honestly think he'd prefer an assassin and seductress instead, Agent Walker?" Jill snarled.

Sarah was just about to shout back at Jill when the sounds of a key turning in the doorknob and the door swinging open interrupted their argument. Both Sarah and Jill whipped their heads toward the door as Chuck walked into the room loaded down with bags.

"OK, I got gifts for everyone," he said in jest as he kicked the door shut with his foot and dropped the bags to the floor.

Neither Sarah nor Jill said a word at his return. Chuck looked at both women with a little concern. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Sarah stared at Jill, who stood there in silence but then crouched down near the bags and started looking through them.

"Sarah?" Chuck asked with a worried look on his face.

"We're fine Chuck, we're fine," Sarah replied.

**END CHAPTER 3**


	5. TShirts & Beds

**CHUCK VS. THE JILL RIDE**

**SUMMARY:** Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own "Chuck."

**NOTE:** When I posted the prologue and chapters 1-3, I made a mistake in describing this story in the summary. I got confused about the term "Alternate Universe." In an Alternate Universe story, you're taking the characters and putting them in a different place, time and/or setting, such as ninjaVanish's superb "Chuck vs the Frontier," which has our favorite characters in a wild west-type setting in the late 1800s (if you're not reading that story or any of his other stories, I would strongly encourage you to do so; he's GREAT!). My story, "Chuck vs the Jill Ride," is NOT an Alternate Universe story. It's the same "Chuck" universe but just taking our favorite couple in a different adventure/direction during the second season of the TV series. My apologies about the mislabeling and any confusion it caused. I have corrected this mistake and taken out the "A/U" reference in the description and previous chapters.

**ANOTHER NOTE:** A "Thank you!" to Tricia22 and mxpw for their ideas for the confrontations in this chapter. But it has been some time since I discussed this story with them, so I wonder if they even remember suggesting these scenes. No matter. I remember and I'm grateful. So once again, thank you to Tricia22 and mxpw.

**CHAPTER 4 – T-SHIRTS & BEDS**

Sarah discovered, not surprisingly, that the clothes Chuck bought not only were the right sizes and would be comfortable but were also tasteful and nice looking. Once again, she found herself amazed with Chuck. Not many guys can pick out clothes that fit and look good on their girl friend, she thought. She looked over at Jill who was also going through the bags that Chuck had handed her. The clothes for Jill were also good choices. And Jill seemed happy.

"Chuck, these are nice. Thank you so much!" she said.

"Yes Chuck, thank you," Sarah piped in.

Chuck bowed his head to each woman. "Glad you like them," he said. He then glanced at his watch. "Well, we had better get changed or whatever and get on the road. I'm assuming that we don't want to stay in one place for very long."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

They left town about 30 minutes later. Sarah directed that they stay away from the interstates and other major highways, and drive instead on the older, less traveled roads that took them through small towns. She also decided that she couldn't steal any more cars. So when they found a used car lot in one town, they bought a car that they could keep and stay in. They drove the two cars out of that town and ditched the stolen one in another town to hopefully create a false trail.

And then they continued traveling, going one way and then another, not following a pattern that would indicate to anyone where they might be going. They took turns driving and only stopped to get some food or for a bathroom break. Throughout all of that, Sarah found her thoughts occupied with Jill's declaration that she wanted to get back together with Chuck. That bothered her. It bothered her a lot and worried her more than she would ever admit to herself, much less to anyone else.

And it didn't help when she saw how Chuck and Jill acted toward one another as the trio traveled in the car. The two talked like old friends and that made Sarah feel like an outsider. Chuck made several attempts to include her in the conversation. But the subjects that Chuck and Jill talked about were alien to Sarah – sci fi, fantasy, old computer games played in college, novels and stories they had read, TV shows and movies they had seen. It especially worried her at how _normal_ the two looked, as she bitterly remembered how Chuck used that word when he broke up with her before Jill came back into his life that time. _Normal_, she thought with both fear and anger as she looked at Chuck talking with Jill.

That evening, after traveling all day, they were ready to stop and call it a night. As Sarah pulled the car into a small motel they found, she announced that she also needed to check her email.

"Is that a good idea? Can't that be traced?" Jill asked.

"If I was checking Sarah Walker's email, yes. But I'm not checking that account. I'm checking an email account that I set up a long time under a false name just so that Casey could contact me in circumstances like these," Sarah explained. "Hopefully, he and Beckman have gotten a clearer picture of what's going on and have fixed things."

"So there might be all-clear and we can go home?" Chuck inquired.

Sarah smiled at him. "Nothing I'd like better. So I need to check."

Chuck and Sarah got out of the car to get a room. An older woman standing at the front desk greeted them warmly. She was friendly and polite as Chuck and Sarah registered and paid for the room. As she handed them the keys, Sarah asked about access to a computer for checking email.

The woman frowned. "I'm afraid none of the rooms have internet access nor computers. We're just a small motel and we can't afford to put computers in every room. We're hoping some day to set up a business center type area with a computer for guests here in the lobby. But we just can't afford that either yet. Usually, I let guests use my computer in the back room here. And I'd be happy to let you use it right now but it has been giving us a lot of problems today," she said with shake of her head.

"Problems? What kind of problems?" Chuck asked.

"Oh, the PC Security keeps battling viruses on it," the woman explained. "Every time we try to do something, this screen pops up saying that we have viruses and to click here or something like that to clean them up. We do that and then it just happens all over again."

"Did you say PC Security? Kind of a light blue colored logo?" Chuck asked.

"Why yes."

Chuck shook his head. "That's not taking care of your viruses; that is the virus. I can fix that. Would you like me to take a look?"

"Do you know anything about computers?"

Sarah smiled. "He's the best," she said.

"Right back here young man," the older woman said with a sweep of her arm. Chuck went into the back room, sat down in front of the computer, moved the mouse and then started typing.

"Sweetie!" Sarah called. Chuck turned his head to look at her. "I'm going to move the car and unload. I'll be right back," Sarah said.

"Do you need some help?" he asked.

"No, no, you fix that and I'll be back to check our email. OK?"

"OK."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"So Chuck is fixing the motel's computer?" Jill asked as she and Sarah walked from the motel room to the office.

"Yes. And then I can check email," Sarah replied. They walked into the office, went to the front desk and looked into the back room. Both Sarah and Jill stared in surprise.

Chuck was there at the computer like Sarah had left him. But he wasn't alone. He was with a woman. And it wasn't the older woman who had checked them in. Instead, it was a 20-ish, shapely brunette standing beside him as he typed on the keyboard. And while she stood there, she leaned close to him.

Brunettes! It's always brunettes! Sarah fumed. She had to stop herself from expressing that out loud. And then much to her surprise, Jill let out a similar rant.

"Dammit, another brunette," she muttered angrily.

Sarah glanced at Jill in shock. Had other brunettes come after Chuck even while he was in a relationship with one? she wondered. As she and Jill moved around the front desk and toward the back room, they could hear what the girl was saying.

"I'm impressed Chuck. You fixed this computer in nothing flat. Soooooo…what do you do when you're not visiting motels and fixing computers?"

"Well…I fix computers."

"You do a good job. How about I take you out to dinner as a reward for fixing this one?"

Sarah had heard enough. And she could guess that Jill had too judging by the way she was glaring at the scene. "Hi sweetie!" Sarah called.

Chuck instantly turned his head. As did the brunette. "Hey! I got the computer fixed. So you can check email whenever you're ready," he said to Sarah.

"I'm ready now," Sarah declared and strode forward to the desk and planted herself close to Chuck's side. She glared at the brunette, who backed off. And when she tried to move to Chuck's other side, Jill supplanted her and also gave her a lethal glare.

The girl could take a hint. "Well, I need to go. Nice meeting you Chuck and thanks for fixing the computer."

Chuck turned his head to her departing form. "Nice meeting you. And you're welcome. And be sure to tell your aunt that the problems are gone and things should work fine on it." He started to turn back to the computer but stopped when he found Sarah on his right side and Jill on his left and both glaring at him.

"Okkkkkaaaayyyyy…I'll just leave the computer to you and…and I'll just leave the computer to you," he said as he got up from the chair. He tried to move past Sarah but she blocked his path. He turned the other way but Jill blocked that route.

"Dinner?" Sarah asked with a frosty look.

"Planning an evening without me Chuck?" Jill asked with a frown. Sarah glared at Jill angrily. Me? she thought.

Chuck looked puzzled. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"That girl asked you out to dinner Chuck," Sarah noted with a trace of venom in her voice.

"She did? When?"

"Just now, right when we walked in," Jill growled.

"Oh…well…I didn't notice…and I wouldn't have gone out with her…I…." He stopped and then looked at Sarah. "Didn't you want to check the email?" He tried to step around Sarah and this time, she allowed him to.

She moved forward and sat at the chair. Then she typed in the website.

"You're sure that this isn't traceable?" Jill asked.

"It's a site with free email accounts. Anyone can establish one. Casey and I secretly established these a while ago so that we could get messages to one another if a situation like this ever arose."

"And you're sure Casey will go to some place safe to use this email?" Jill asked.

"Absolutely," Sarah replied.

She looked at the in-box on the screen. No new messages. Nothing. The in-box was empty.

Sarah sighed as she logged off the email account and closed the web browser.

"What is it?" Chuck asked. "There was nothing there."

"That's the whole point. Nothing was there. Which means that we still have to stay off grid," Sarah said.

"What?" Chuck asked.

"Casey will send an email when it's all clear or safe to come home. And that's the _only_ message he will send to that account. So an empty in-box means things still aren't good or cleared up."

Chuck didn't say anything. Neither did Jill. But their sad faces spoke volumes.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah understood completely how they felt. She didn't feel very happy herself. What is going on? Sarah thought. Why is this happening? Were the CIA and the NSA in a fight over what to do with Chuck? It was frustrating not knowing what was happening and not being able to do anything about it.

They arrived at their room. Sarah pulled out the key, unlocked the door and they all entered. She shut and locked the door and then checked to make sure that the drapes completely covered the window, preventing anyone from seeing inside the room.

"Well I don't know about the two of you, but I'm exhausted and I'm going to sleep. A moving car isn't exactly an ideal place to rest," Jill announced. She sat on the edge of one bed and removed her shoes. Then she looked up at Chuck. "Did you get any sleepwear, something that we could sleep in?" she asked him.

Chuck had been staring off to one side and at first didn't answer. "What? Oh…yes…I got us each some large T-shirts," he said pointing at one bag on the floor. Jill grabbed the bag and reached inside. A smile formed on her face as she pulled out a large Stanford University T-shirt. The smile stayed on her face as she went from looking at the shirt to looking at Chuck.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Uhh…sure," Chuck replied.

Rage formed in Sarah's mind. Stanford was hers! She had always used Chuck's Stanford T-shirt to sleep in when she stayed over at his apartment. The brunette bitch had stolen _her_ shirt.

Jill stood up, holding the T-shirt, then grabbed toothbrush and toothpaste from a bag and went into the bathroom. She closed the door.

Chuck then reached into the bag, pulled out another T-shirt and held it out to Sarah.

"I got this one for you. I hope it's OK," he said.

Sarah took the shirt. It was a bright blue color. She unfolded it and looked at the front. A smile formed on her face as she read the words on the T-shirt: "C.I.A. – Classy, Intelligent, Attractive."

"Is that OK?" he asked hesitantly.

She looked up and smiled brightly at him. "It's perfect," she replied.

"Good!" he said with a smile. "You can take the bathroom when Jill is done and then I'll go…OK?"

She nodded. Then she noticed him frowning as he turned his head and looked at the room's two full-size beds. What's wrong? she wondered.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Jill barely gave Sarah a glance as she pulled down the covers and adjusted the pillows on one bed. Chuck was in the bathroom while Jill was at one bed and Sarah the other. Sarah wore her C.I.A. T-shirt and if Jill noticed the words, she made no comment. The brunette crawled under the covers in her bed and appeared to be ready to sleep. Sarah pulled down the covers on her bed and then sat on it to wait for Chuck.

A few minutes later, Chuck emerged from the bathroom in a T-shirt and his boxers. Sarah grinned at the Superman logo on the shirt.

Then she noticed that he looked uncomfortable or concerned. He stood between the two full-size beds, looking from one to the other. Then he moved forward.

"OK then…if I could just borrow a few things, I'll…." He trailed off as he reached for one pillow on Sarah's bed, took it and then started to remove a blanket off the top of Jill's bed.

What is he doing? Sarah wondered. Then it hit her. He was going to sleep on the floor. But why? He's going to sleep with me…isn't he? she thought.

"Chuck! It's OK, you can sleep here," Jill offered as she scooted over to make room for him on the bed and patted the space.

"Chuck!" Sarah said. Make one move toward her bed and I'll…. She didn't finish that thought as she wasn't exactly sure what she would do. But there was _no_ way that he was getting into Jill's bed.

Chuck looked at Jill and then at Sarah. And then Sarah could see the conflict going on inside his head. Chuck didn't want to hurt either woman's feelings. But she and Chuck had slept together in the same bed quite a few times. Yes, it was platonic. Yes, it was for the cover. But wouldn't he be comfortable with her? Wouldn't he be _more_ comfortable with her instead of with Jill? Didn't he like her more than Jill? Didn't he trust her more than Jill? All of that raced through Sarah's mind as she looked at him.

She glanced over at Jill for a second and tried to push out the memories of Chuck and Jill having sex at his apartment that time they were back together. Then she looked back at Chuck. Yes, he and Jill had a relationship. But that was over. Surely he wouldn't even consider getting into Jill's bed…would he? Sarah pondered.

"It's OK…I'll sleep on the floor…I'll be fine," Chuck said quietly.

"Chuck! That's ridiculous!" Jill said. "There's plenty of room and you don't have to sleep on the floor."

"No, no, it's OK," he said as he put the blanket and pillow on the floor.

"CHUCK!" Sarah called. She started to get out of bed and reach for him.

He held up his hand, stopping Sarah. "No, it's OK…really," he said. And then he lay down on the floor.

Sarah stared down at him for a moment and then turned her head to give Jill an angry look but found that the brunette was already staring back with an equally malevolent expression. Sarah glanced again down at Chuck on the floor. He had his eyes closed and wasn't looking at anyone.

Sarah let out a sigh of frustration, reached over and shut off the light that was attached to the wall between the beds and then burrowed into the covers. _God I hate that bitch! _she thought.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah woke up and stretched. She glanced over at Jill's bed and was relieved to see that she was also alone. She had wondered if the brunette would try to get Chuck into her bed some time during the night. Sarah then leaned over the edge of the bed and looked at Chuck, curled on the floor between the two beds. He was asleep, fast asleep, she thought. She reached over and touched some of those Bartowski curls, relishing the feel of him. Then she frowned. Something was wrong. His head felt hot.

She immediately got out of the bed and crouched down beside him. "Chuck?" she said as she gently shook him. He did not respond. "Chuck!" she said again, this time louder.

A moan came from him. By this time, Jill was up and alert. "What's wrong? Is something wrong with Chuck?" she asked, concerned.

Sarah reached over and felt Chuck's forehead.

"Is something wrong with Chuck?" Jill repeated. She moved over to the side of the bed and started to move down to the floor by Chuck.

"No, no, nothing is wrong with Chuck!" Chuck said as he sat up. Both Sarah and Jill looked at him. He noticed Sarah's hand still on his face. He grasped it gently and moved it away.

"I'm fine, OK?" he insisted.

Sarah looked closely at him. He didn't look fine to her.

And Chuck noticed her look. "I'm fine," he insisted.

"Chuck, I don't think so. I think you have a fever," she said.

"No I don't. I'm fine," he said. He started to stand up.

"Chuck, let me check you over," Jill said. And she started toward him.

Sarah snorted. "Excuse me, are you a doctor?" she said.

Jill glared back at Sarah. "And I suppose seduction and assassination training makes you one?"

"I've had some medical and first aid training!" Sarah retorted.

"And I've had some pharmaceutical and first aid training," Jill snapped.

"And I've had enough of this!" Chuck interrupted. "I'm going to shower." And without so much of a glance at either woman, he got up and walked to the bathroom. Walked a bit unsteadily, Sarah noticed.

"Chuck, is that a good idea? You look…you might fall," Sarah warned.

"I'll be fine," he said as he shut the bathroom door.

Sarah eyed the bathroom door warily. She wasn't sure if he should be standing and showering. He definitely looked unsteady as he walked. If he got dizzy or weak during the shower, he could fall and….

"I don't know if that's good idea," Jill said interrupting Sarah's thoughts. "He didn't walk very well on the way to the bathroom."

"I noticed," Sarah said. She kept her eyes on the bathroom door, wondering if she should march into there and bring him out and get him to lie down on the bed. She looked down at the hand that had felt his forehead. She could still feel that searing heat from his fever.

Before she could think anything further, a yelp and crash occurred in the bathroom.

"CHUCK!" both women screamed. They both raced to the bathroom door. Sarah got there first and banged on the door. "Chuck! Are you all right?" she yelled.

"I'm…I'm OK…just give me a minute," Chuck replied. Sarah could hear him panting. He did not sound good.

"Chuck, I'm coming in," she said. She grasped the door knob.

"NO! NO! Not necessary! I'll be fine! Just give me a minute," he yelled.

"Chuck!"

"Just give me a minute!"

"One minute!" Sarah said. She let go of the door knob and stepped back a space. Jill stood there with her arms crossed and a frown on her face. Sarah looked back at the clock on the small cabinet between the beds. One minute, she thought.

A groan came from the bathroom. Both Sarah and Jill's heads whipped toward the door. Even with it shut, they could easily hear Chuck breathing rapidly. This time Jill got to the door first. She knocked on it. "Chuck, I'm coming in," she declared.

"NO! NO! I'm fine, just give me a minute," Chuck begged.

"Chuck, you are not fine! I'm coming in," Jill said.

"Just wait a minute! Just wait!"

"Chuck, what is going on? Why don't you want me to come in and help you?"

Silence; not a word from the bathroom.

"Chuck?" Sarah inquired.

Another moment of silence.

"Chuck! Answer me right now or I'm coming in!" Jill ordered.

"OK, OK. I just need a moment to put on my clothes, OK? Can you let me have that? OK?"

"Oh Chuck! For crying out loud," Jill yelled. "We've both seen each other naked many times." She jerked open the door, stepped into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Sarah's jaw dropped and she stood there, staring at the door in shock. Jill's statement had felt like a slap to the face. But it's not like that's news to you, she told herself. Jill and Chuck had been in a relationship, had been lovers in college. So of course they had seen each other's body. And they had gotten back together those months ago and there was that time in Chuck's apartment and the motel that they…. She didn't want to finish that thought. In spite of the fact that Chuck and Jill had been together and lovers twice in their lives, she did not – absolutely did _not_ – want to think about that.

She glanced at the bathroom door and started pacing.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Jill and Chuck emerged. Sarah glanced worriedly at him. He looked pale and weak and had to cling to Jill as she helped him walk over to the bed. Sarah immediately got on Chuck's other side and aided his movements.

Together, the two lay Chuck down on the bed as gently as they could and then pulled the covers over him. He huddled under the covers and shivered. Sarah sat down beside him and felt his forehead again. Jill immediately dashed to the other side of the bed and did her own inspection.

"We need to get him to a doctor," Jill declared.

"I know that!" Sarah snapped. "And I'll take him to one!" She stood up and glanced at the small drawer that was between the beds. She pulled open the top drawer and found a phone book in it. She grabbed it and opened it up looking for doctor listings.

"You're actually going to use a phone book?" Jill sneered.

"Do you see an iPhone, laptop or wireless connection anywhere?" Sarah snorted.

But then she saw the date on the book. It was several years old. "It's too old to be any good," Sarah said as she dumped it back in the drawer.

She thought for a moment as she glanced at Chuck. "I'll go ask that lady at the front desk if she knows a doctor or clinic anywhere near here and take Chuck there," Sarah said.

"You'll take him? Why should you take him to the doctor? I'll take him!"

"And just how are you going to do that?"

"It's not that hard Agent Walker," Jill said as she got up from the bed and strode over to Sarah and stepped into her space.

If you're trying to intimidate me, you're going to have to do a hell of a lot better than that, Sarah thought. "And what exactly will you tell the doctor about Chuck?" she said out loud.

"That he's sick," Jill replied sarcastically.

"I'm talking about Chuck's medical history. Chuck will be a new patient with whatever doctor or clinic we take him to and they'll need a medical history and other information. There will be a lot of forms to fill out for the doctor. And it will need to be accurate information," Sarah said.

Jill said nothing as Sarah continued.

"Do you know his medical history? Do you know what vaccinations he has received? Do you know what illnesses he has had? Do you know when he last had a broken bone? Do you know any of that?" Sarah asked.

"And I suppose you do?" Jill snarled.

"As a matter of fact yes, I do. I know Chuck's complete medical history – every childhood and adult ailment, injury and illness. So it would be best for me to take Chuck to the doctor."

Knowing that she was trumped on that point, Jill changed tactics, saying that they should all go together. The two argued more and kept at it. It might have gone on for a lot longer had not Sarah realized that Chuck had been silent throughout the conversation. He had not interjected nor interrupted them one time. That's not like Chuck, she thought as she looked toward the bed. Her eyes darted rapidly around the room. No Chuck! Jill noticing that Sarah was no longer paying any attention, stopped talking and looked at Sarah inquiringly

"Chuck?" Sarah called.

Jill looked all around the room. No Chuck!

Sarah turned on Jill. "Where's Chuck?" she demanded.

Jill said nothing. She looked in the bathroom. Empty.

Both heads turned toward the motel room door. Had Chuck left? The two women dashed out of the room. No sign of Chuck in any direction. They heard a door open. Three doors down, the owner, the older woman, walked out of a room, shut the door and walked toward the office. Sarah trotted over to her.

"Excuse me," Sarah called out.

The older woman stopped, turned and smiled when she saw Sarah. "Oh! Good morning! Are you sick too? Well, I guess you're not if you can run like that," she said.

"Am I sick too? Have you seen Chuck? Did Chuck come this way?" Sarah asked.

"Oh yes, that poor boy came over a little while ago and asked us if we knew a doctor or clinic that he could go visit," the woman replied.

"Us?" Sarah responded.

The woman nodded. "My niece and I. We know of an excellent clinic. So Marsha offered to drive him over right then and there."

"Marsha?" Sarah asked.

The woman nodded again. "Yes, Marsha, my niece. She took him over right away. She insisted. The poor boy…he was in no shape to drive. They should be back soon." The woman finished talking and walked away.

Brunettes! It's always brunettes! Sarah thought with annoyance.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

After finding out from the motel owner where the medical clinic was, Sarah and Jill got in the car and drove there. It turned out to be a small building about three miles from the motel. There were several cars in the lot and the place seemed to be open.

Sarah and Jill got out of the car and marched inside to a small waiting room with two people sitting in it and a receptionist at a desk near the front door who eyed both Sarah and Jill.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

Jill spoke up immediately. "Our, our…friend was brought here to see a doctor and we're looking for—"

She stopped when Sarah spotted the owner's niece, the brunette, sitting in a chair in the corner reading a magazine. Sarah dashed over to the woman and Jill followed.

"Where's Chuck?" Sarah demanded the second after she walked up to the woman.

Marsha glanced up from her magazine and appeared unconcerned. "Oh…hi! He's with the doctor. He's been in there for about 15 minutes so hopefully it won't be too much longer," she replied casually. By then, Jill had walked up and had heard what was going on.

Sarah sighed. "Look, you shouldn't have just run off with Chuck like that. I…well, I got worried and I didn't know what had happened. And I am perfectly capable of taking Chuck to the doctor on my own."

Marsha looked puzzled. "He was sick and he asked my aunt and me if we knew of a doctor. So I said I would take him. So I…what's the problem?"

"The problem is that we didn't know where he was. He was sick and then he disappeared and we didn't know what to think," Jill said. As her voice got louder, the other person in the waiting room looked at them, as did the receptionist.

"Excuse me!" the receptionist called out, "is there a problem?"

Before either Sarah, Jill or Marsha could reply, Chuck appeared in the waiting room.

Sarah spotted him first and dashed to him as she exclaimed "Chuck!" His appearance did not exactly calm her. He looked pale and weak and both his walking and posture looked shaky. She gripped one of his arms.

"Chuck! Are you all right?" she asked.

He looked at her with puzzlement. "Sarah? What are you…well, I know what you're doing here. You didn't like my taking off to the doctor on my own, did you?"

His voice caused her some concern as it sounded weak and lacked the usual Chuck spark. "Chuck!" Sarah muttered angrily as she gripped his arm tighter. She had almost shouted but realized where they were. They were already attracting attention.

"I know, I know. Don't ever do that again," Chuck sighed.

Sarah was about to chew him out but then Jill and Marsha appeared.

"Chuck, are you OK? What did the doctor say?" Jill asked.

All three waited for his answer. "There's a bug going around town and apparently I caught it. The doctor gave me a prescription to help with the pain and stuff. Other than that, he said to just rest and let the bug run its course which he said would be one or two days."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah paid the bill and they left. She and Jill got Chuck in their car. And after getting directions from Marsha for a pharmacy to fill the prescription, they went there, got the medicine and then headed back to the motel. Jill talked to Chuck for almost the whole way asking him about what the doctor said, how he felt and why he went off on his own without telling her or Sarah. Sarah said nothing as he replied that the arguing and fighting just got too much for him and he wanted to get away from it.

Once they got back to the motel, they put Chuck to bed, gave him his medicine and waited. After a moment he appeared to be asleep. Jill motioned for Sarah to step outside of the room. Sarah checked on Chuck first. He was definitely asleep. Satisfied that he was OK for now, she followed Jill outside.

Jill shut the door and then turned to the CIA agent.

"That turned out OK but it could have been a lot worse. We could have lost Chuck," she said.

"No argument there," Sarah replied.

"OK, so we can't let that happen again. It's too dangerous, too dangerous for Chuck."

"Still no argument," Sarah said.

Jill sighed. "OK then…you and I need to knock this, this…arguing off. Or if we have to, to argue, we need to not do it in front of Chuck."

Sarah said nothing. She just stood there with her arms crossed. When Jill realized that Sarah had no response, she continued.

"We have to think about Chuck. Our arguing caused him to run off on his own. So we either need to stop entirely or stop in front of Chuck." Jill waited again for some response from Sarah. Getting none, her face turned dark.

"Agent Walker, months ago back at that opera house, you told me that it was your job to protect Chuck. Is that still the case with you?"

"Protecting Chuck from anything – _anything_ – will always be my concern!" Sarah said firmly and with a hateful look at Jill as she emphasized the word "anything."

"Fine! Then let's both protect Chuck by trying to rein in our arguing and not cause him to take off on his own again. OK?"

"Fine!" Sarah responded.

Jill glared at Sarah. "What's your problem here Agent Walker? I'm only concerned about Chuck. Why would you have a problem with that?"

"I'm just not used to you being concerned about protecting Chuck," Sarah replied. "Usually, you toy with his feelings and use him."

"How I toy with his feelings and use him? Maybe you should look in a mirror when you say that Agent Walker," Jill fired right back.

"What are you talking about?"

"You constantly give him signs and hope that he can have a relationship with you and then you push him away…just keep reeling him in and then throwing him back when he gets close."

Sarah glared angrily at Jill. "For one thing, just who do you think you are on giving me relationship advice – especially relationship advice on Chuck after the way you treated him? And for another thing, I'm his handler. I'm supposed to protect him and keep him alive and safe. And having a relationship with him could endanger him."

"THEN STOP IT!" Jill's eyes filled with fury as she spoke to the blonde CIA agent. "Stop giving him hope, break it off with him! If you're not going to ever act on your feelings for Chuck, then give him up, don't keep giving him hope and stringing him along. Break it off with him permanently and completely and let him move on and be with someone who wants to be with him. Have you done that? If you really, truly believe that there can never be anything between you and Chuck and won't act on your feelings, then stop it and let him move on. Did it ever occur to you that Chuck doesn't deserve to be treated that way? Did you ever truly think about what you're doing to him?"

Sarah didn't answer. She found it hard to face Jill's penetrating and forceful glare after hearing those words.

Jill shook her head in disgust. "I didn't think so. You've criticized me for breaking up with Chuck and breaking his heart back in college. Fulcrum wouldn't allow me to continue my relationship with Chuck. But did I give him any false hope? Did I let him think that there still might be a chance? No, I did _not_! I broke it off with him completely. And you? The one time you did tell him that there couldn't be anything between the two of you, he broke up with you and tried to move on. And what did you do? You did what you could to sabotage his relationship with that girl. You just keep giving him hope that there could be something between the two of you and pushing him away."

Sarah turned toward Jill. "Maybe you should look in that mirror now."

"What?"

"What exactly did you do with Chuck when you got back together with him? Why exactly did you get back together with him Jill? Was it because you were in love with him or was it to use him? To help your status with Fulcrum?" Sarah said.

Jill's eyes blazed and then she opened her mouth and appeared to be about to shout something back. Then she stopped, let out an exasperated huff and shook her head. She turned to look at Sarah and smiled slightly. Sarah's guard immediately went up. The sight of Jill smiling at her seemed cause for concern.

Jill shook her head again. "Did it ever occur to you Agent Walker how alike you and I are?"

The statement floored Sarah. What was Jill talking about? she immediately thought.

"Think about it," Jill continued. "You and I really are very much alike."

"Now you're really getting insulting," Sarah snapped.

Jill chuckled. "You don't see it…or you don't _want_ to see it Agent Walker?"

Sarah said nothing as the temptation to hit Jill raged inside of her. And it wasn't just because Sarah wanted to shut her up. She had plenty of reasons to want to hit Jill including her continuous use of "Agent Walker" which was really getting on Sarah's nerves.

"I'm serious, I really am. Just think about it," Jill mused as she stared off in another direction. "We both approach our jobs the same way – career and job above everything else. We both are similar in the things we do for the job. And…."

Jill paused and then turned her head to look directly at Sarah while she made her next point, as if to carefully watch the CIA agent's reaction to what she would say next.

"And we both are similar in how we manipulate and use Chuck to further our jobs."

Sarah immediately reacted toward Jill with fury. "What do you mean I use Chuck to further my job? I have _never_ used Chuck for that," she raged.

"Your career hasn't taken an upswing? Things haven't gotten a lot better on the job? You haven't gotten more prime assignments and cases? You haven't gotten a lot more praise and attention from the top brass? All of that and more hasn't occurred since your job involved Chuck?" Jill listed. "And on the subject of Chuck…how often has he saved your life and your partner's life? How often has he saved other peoples' lives? How often have his actions and efforts contributed to a successful mission? But who gets the praise and the commendations? Does Chuck even get paid for what he does? Have you or your partner or your boss ever even thanked him for what he does?"

What Jill said hit Sarah hard. She tried to think of something to say, some form of denial or objection. But nothing came. She could only stare silently at the brunette as Jill's words sunk in. Jill couldn't be right. They thanked Chuck…didn't they? She thanked him…didn't she? She tried to think of when she did and came up empty. Could Jill be right? Did she and Casey actually use Chuck to further their careers? Such thoughts stung and hurt. She didn't use Chuck to further her career, did she? Not intentionally. Did she?

Jill stared at her silently the whole time, waiting for Sarah to answer. When no answer came, the brunette spoke again.

"And you condemn me for what I did to Chuck? What about what you are doing to Chuck?" she said.

Sarah still could only silently stand there, unable to come up with an answer. Then a thought struck Sarah. "How do you know all of this?" she asked.

Jill didn't answer her question. Instead, she announced that she wanted to check on Chuck and went back into the room. Sarah eventually followed. As she entered the room, she saw Jill sitting on the bed alongside Chuck and stroking his hair. Resentment and fury welled up in her but she said nothing and walked into the bathroom and shut the door. She leaned against the sink and held back a cry of rage and anger. Then she had to hold back from punching or kicking the counter or mirror. She did _not_ want Jill to hear that. As she tried to calm down, she kept denying to herself that she used Chuck to help her career. But her mind couldn't stop thinking about Chuck and giving him his due. Had she thanked Chuck? Had Casey or General Beckman thanked Chuck or credited him with or praised him for everything he had done? She raised her head up and stared at the reflection of herself in the mirror. And then and there, Sarah thought that the face that she saw in the mirror didn't seem very pretty.

**END CHAPTER 4**


	6. Trying To Do What's Right

**CHUCK VS. THE JILL RIDE**

**SUMMARY:** Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own "Chuck."

**NOTE:** Here is another "Thank you!" to mxpw who not only gave me an idea for a previous chapter but also gave me the idea for part of this chapter. Thank you mxpw!

**CHAPTER 5 – TRYING TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT**

_It was all so oppressive and depressing, Chuck thought as he walked, escorted through the prison hallways. You would think I would be used to it by now, he mused. He knew the routine perfectly: walk alongside the guard, remain inside the lines on the floor while doing so, stop at the checkpoint station, wait for the gate to open, continue walking alongside the guard and do the whole gate thing again at every checkpoint station._

_Yes, he knew the routine perfectly. But he had no idea how many checkpoint stations he had to go through in this maximum security federal prison. A bunch, he thought sadly. Nor did he know how many guards he passed. A bunch, he thought dejectedly._

_You would think I would be used to this by now considering how many times I've done this, he thought again. But he wasn't used to it. Anything but. He would never get used to this. _

_The guard escorted him to a room. Not the visitor's center, Chuck thought gratefully. At least that was one thing they had given them. They didn't have to meet in the regular visitor's center filled with other people seeing prisoners. At least they could be alone in a place of their own. Well, almost alone, he thought as they arrived at the room and he glanced around and saw the four guards, one in each corner of the room. He sat down at a table to wait._

"_They're bringing her in now. It will only be a minute or two Chuck," the guard who escorted him into the room said._

"_Thanks," he replied._

"_No problem Chuck," the guard said._

_He looked up at the guard's departing figure. He had come to this prison so many times and each time this same guard escorted him and always addressed him by his first name. Yet he had no idea what this guard's name was._

_The door on the other side of the room opened and in she came. And it was just like the previous times. Two guards escorting her. One on each side of her. She in ankle and wrist chains. They brought her up to the table and she sat down on the opposite side of the table, facing Chuck and the guards stepped away._

_She sat there and looked at him but didn't say anything. They always did that; didn't say anything to each other until the guards had moved away and taken up their positions in the room. _

_Seconds later, once the guards were away from them, she smiled at him. _

"_Hey Chuck!" she said brightly._

"_Hey Sarah," he replied._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chuck bolted upright from where he slept and just barely suppressed a yell or scream. He quickly looked around and breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't in prison, Sarah wasn't in prison, she was right there. It was all a nightmare. A horrible nightmare, one of the worst ones he had ever had in his life, he thought as he bent his head down into his hands and tried to calm down.

"Chuck!" Sarah exclaimed. She was by the bed in a second and checking him over. "Are you all right?" She grasped his chin gently and turned his face to look directly at hers and studied him intently. He shuddered slightly as he still felt a little shaken by the nightmare but quickly tried to calm himself and not look wild-eyed or panicked.

"Chuck, are you all right?" Sarah repeated as Jill, sitting over by the television, looked on with concern.

He nodded, not trusting his voice to do anything but squeak or sound silly or cause Sarah more worry. He ran one hand through his hair and then lay back down on the bed. Sarah kept looking at him, worried. She reached down and stroked his head and hair, hoping to relax him. Although he didn't want to go back to sleep for fear of having that nightmare again, he couldn't help it. His eyes eventually shut and he fell asleep again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Even after Chuck had calmed down and gone back to sleep, Sarah felt concerned. He was still sick with that bug or virus or whatever it was. The doctor said that it would probably pass within 24 hours and yet more than 24 hours had passed and Chuck didn't seem any better.

Well, all of the traveling they had done probably hadn't helped him, Sarah thought guiltily. After seeing the doctor yesterday, they had debated whether or not to stay in the motel until Chuck was better. He had insisted that he could travel and so they did. He spent the entire journey stretched out in the back seat of the car and pretty much out of it. And when they stopped for the day and Sarah looked at him as he got out of the car, she regretted not staying put at the motel and letting him rest. He did not look good. And now, the next day, he still did not look good.

Sarah cursed silently. They should have stayed off the road yesterday and let him get well. More to worry about, she thought. And speaking of worrying…. She glanced at Jill sitting in a chair and watching television.

She tried not to think about what Jill said yesterday. But she couldn't help it. Dammit, I've thanked Chuck and praised him, Sarah thought. She had helped get him his Stanford degree and she had told him "Good job!" many times.

Still, what Jill said about Chuck being used had really hit her hard. She had to consider the source and she had to consider Jill's motivations. But there was truth in what Jill said. Chuck wasn't a spy. He hadn't asked for this life. It had been thrust upon him and his entire life had been uprooted and he had been forced into all of this. Thank you Bryce Larkin, Sarah thought angrily. And not for the first time did she curse her former partner for what he had done to Chuck.

And not giving Chuck credit for all that he had done. Did they really appreciate him enough? Or did they take him for granted?

She glanced over at him and sighed. We do underrate him. She could recall how many times it was not the Intersect that saved them but Chuck. He did it all with his own skills and talents. But yet, we always think of him as the Intersect. When was the last time Beckman called him by his name? Sarah wondered.

Dammit, he is a vital member of the team. And _not_ because he's the Intersect. And we need to make sure he knows that. He really is that guy. If only I could get him to realize that.

Sarah recalled that time in the case with Jill when all of those people had gotten contaminated in that room. Chuck had helped save everyone and when he had walked out, everyone had cheered him. He had looked so surprised at that. Like such a thing hardly ever happened to him. She had been there and seen all of the people cheering and applauding and thought how he deserved that. And she immediately joined in on the applause. And then Jill swooped right in on him and got him.

She glared at brunette who didn't look up from the TV. Psycho stalker bitch, she thought angrily.

And what also bothered her was Jill's knowledge about everything. She knew about the Lou situation and what happened there. She knew about Chuck's spy work and that he wasn't getting paid nor officially recognized. And she knew other things as well. How? How had she known all of that?

Did Chuck tell Jill all about that when they had gotten back together a few months ago? Not likely, Sarah thought. Beckman had ordered the pair put under surveillance and Sarah had listened to every second of those tapes. _Every second._ She had wanted to know everything – _everything_ – he had done with that brunette bitch. And he had never mentioned Lou nor had he talked about how he was treated by the CIA and NSA during those times.

So how Jill did know all of that? A thought came to her. A thought that had been nagging at her ever since that day in the warehouse when Chuck was supposed to meet with Jill. He had acted strange then. Well, not strange, Sarah amended, but different. He had a different attitude about meeting with his infamous ex. And that's another piece to the puzzle, she thought.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Something's wrong, Sarah thought as she washed her hands in the motel bathroom. It was early evening and the trio had spent the day at the motel hoping that Chuck would get better. And he had. Sarah could easily see that. At least he looked better physically. But something was wrong with him. She had thought that all day long. And she still thought that.

For most of the day he had been quiet, withdrawn and hardly talked at all. He didn't seem to want to talk to either her or Jill. Even though he wasn't 100 percent well, that was still strange for him. He was always talkative. And with her and Jill not really speaking to each other, Chuck usually carried the conversations and tried to include both women in them.

But today, he seemed to prefer silence. Jill tried several times to start a conversation. But he didn't respond much. Jill eventually gave up and switched on the TV. And that was how most of the day went.

Something's wrong, she thought again as she wiped her hands dry with the towel and then set the towel on the rack. And she wanted to find out.

But how? she pondered. She wanted – _needed_ – to talk to him alone. But exactly how could she with that damn brunette around? She considered asking for a private conversation. But then Jill would get suspicious and raise hell. But when she came out of the bathroom, she discovered that the opportunity had presented itself. Chuck was standing there alone. No Jill. Sarah looked at him.

"We need to talk," he said with a serious expression on his face.

Sarah glanced again around the room. Jill was definitely not there.

"Where's Jill?" she asked.

"She went out to get dinner. So we need to talk while she's gone."

Fine by me, Sarah thought as she sat on the edge of one of the beds. She briefly wondered at how he had convinced Jill to go get food and thus leave the two of them alone. But then she dismissed those thoughts as she tried to read his expression and figure out what he was thinking. He looked really serious and she wondered if she should be worried about what he wanted to say. She waited for him to start. He studied her for several more seconds and then turned away and started pacing. Eventually, he spoke.

"I've been thinking, thinking a lot about what is going on here and what we're doing. We're off the grid and on the run and we're—" He stopped talking and pacing and turned to face her.

"You're committing treason, aren't you?"

Sarah said nothing as he waited for an answer. She hadn't expected that.

"Aren't you?" he repeated when she made no response.

He wasn't going to give it up until she did answer, Sarah quickly realized.

"Chuck, that's none of your concern," she finally said.

"So I'm right. This is treason and you could go to jail," he said.

"Chuck, it is my job to keep you safe. And I will do that job no matter what."

He looked aghast at that statement. He shook his head and started to pace again but then stopped.

"Sarah, I won't have you sacrificing and destroying your career, your freedom, your life – everything for me…for, for this damn Intersect. No, I won't do that, I can't do that. And I won't!"

He would have said more but stopped when Sarah rose from where she sat on the bed and walked right up to him and faced him closely. Then she reached out and took both of his hands in hers.

"Remember when we were held hostage this past Christmas?" she asked.

He shuddered but nodded.

"I promised you then that I would do anything to protect you and keep you safe. And I meant it. I will do anything to keep you alive and safe," she told him.

"But Sarah you could go to jail!"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is protecting you."

Chuck shook loose from her hands. "What do you mean, it doesn't matter?" he said with his voice rising in volume. "It matters a lot. A LOT! I can't let you go to jail because of me! I can't live with that! I can't live without you!"

Their faces were just a few inches apart when he said that and Sarah could see close-up the resolve, determination and emotion in him. And all of that had been at a peak when he said those last five words – _I can't live without you!_

That and his nearness did things to her. Wonderful things! She could feel her heart and pulse pounding and she kept alternating at staring into his eyes and at his lips. Oh, those lips looked so inviting. She started to lean in toward him.

But then he pulled away and started pacing again. What will it take for us to get just one damn kiss, Sarah fumed. Annoyed at another opportunity lost, she grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Chuck, _you_ are what matters, _you_ are what's important." She gripped his arm tighter. "Anything else doesn't matter. No matter what, I will do everything I can to protect you from anything. I will _not_ let anyone or anything hurt you or take you away!" She paused to let her words sink in. Then she added "And besides, what could we do to change this?"

As a look appeared on his face, Sarah cursed silently and regretted asking that question. She knew that look. He had an idea. Oh, she was not going to like this. She frowned but that didn't stop him.

"Well, I've been thinking. I've been thinking all day about this. And I think I know what I could do. I could…." He hesitated as he saw Sarah's frown grow and her eyes narrow. He swallowed but continued.

"I could turn myself in."

"WHAT?" Sarah shouted.

He held up his hands. "Wait! Wait! Hear me out! Just hear me out! OK?"

Sarah still frowned at him but said nothing. He continued.

"We – I, I could find a police station or military base or something and then just turn myself in. I could say that I escaped from those guys who took me. Never even mention that I was with you. I could say that I was by myself. Then you could just say that you were trying to find me and never did," Chuck rambled.

Sarah stopped him, not allowing him to speak any more.

"NO!" she said emphatically.

"Sarah!"

"NO!"

"I can't let you go to jail," he said.

"NO! We stay together. I'm not letting you out of my sight. And besides Chuck, what would you do if the men who took you disagreed with your version of the story? I fought with them and rescued you from them. They saw me. And one of them knows me. We worked on a case a while back. So that kills your version of the story," Sarah said.

"But…well…I could—"

"_NO! You're staying with me. And that's final Chuck. I'm not letting you out of my sight!"_

He didn't reply. But one look at him and Sarah could tell he was thinking something again. She reached up and gripped his cheeks with one hand and turned his face to hers.

"And don't you think for one second – not even _one_ second – of trying to sneak off on your own and turn yourself in Chuck! If I have to, I will tie you up to prevent that after, after I physically hurt you!" she threatened.

He gulped.

And that's what Jill saw when she walked into the motel room with several bags of takeout food: a meek and subdued Chuck threatened by a furious Sarah. The brunette scrutinized the scene with a puzzled expression. Then her eyes turned cold as she saw how tightly Sarah gripped his cheeks. Sarah released him but Jill's furious expression didn't let up.

"Well, does someone want to tell me what's going on?" Jill asked.

Neither Chuck nor Sarah replied as Sarah continued to glare at him.

"Well?" Jill asked.

At first Sarah was not going to say anything. But then it dawned on her that she needed Jill. Jill had told her earlier that the two of them needed to present a united front to keep Chuck safe. Time for you to make good on our agreement, Sarah thought as she then turned toward Jill.

"Chuck wants to turn himself in. He wants to turn himself in and say that he escaped from those men who kidnapped him, the men we rescued him from."

Jill nearly dropped the bags of food as her expression changed to horror and shock. "Are you out of your mind Chuck? What the hell are you thinking? What's the matter with you?"

"Jill, just hear me out. Both you and Sarah could be arrested and put in jail for treason. This would be the best way—"

"Chuck! Forget it!" Jill shouted.

"I—"

"Chuck, did it not occur to you that when you turn yourself in that you could be turning yourself in to the same people who want to take you away? What's make you think they haven't infiltrated other areas of the CIA and NSA. So what good would turning yourself in do?"

"Jill—"

"No Chuck! No! You're staying with us where you are definitely safe. And hopefully Sarah's partner or friend or whoever he is will straighten all of this out and then, and only then, do we go back! Understand?"

The look Jill gave him was every bit as fierce and determined as Sarah's. He said nothing but nodded and turned away.

"And don't even think about trying to sneak away! We'll be watching you Chuck!" Jill added.

He stopped for a second but didn't turn around. Then he continued on and went into the bathroom. Sarah eyed the door suspiciously. The window in there was too small for him to sneak out, she thought. Still, if he didn't come out soon, she'd bust in there. She turned to Jill who was emptying out the bags and putting food on the table.

"Thank you," Sarah said.

Jill shrugged. "We agreed to stick together on these things to protect Chuck. He's what matters."

Sarah looked back at the bathroom door. "Yes, yes he is," she readily agreed.

She sincerely hoped that he wouldn't try to sneak away and turn himself in; that any such plan was now out of his head. There was no telling what would happen to him if the people who tried to take him got him. Would she ever see him again if that happened? The thought of never seeing Chuck, of him being taken away or locked up in a bunker or something even worse filled her with dread and horror. She didn't know if she could bear that. She really didn't.

The bathroom door opened and he stepped out. He walked up to the table. There were only two chairs at the table so he sat on the edge of a bed and leaned forward while Sarah and Jill each pulled out a chair and sat. Quiet reigned as they ate.

Sarah looked at Chuck and then at Jill. And what about Jill? she thought. I don't want to lose him to Jill either.

Again she looked at the two of them. Well, one mystery solved, she thought. That's what was bothering him today. But there's still that other thing.

She took a bite of her food and then glanced at Jill. And that other thing involves Jill, I know it does, she thought.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jill continued to concern and weigh on Sarah's mind for the rest of the day and then all the next day as they resumed traveling. They had been on the road all morning and after hours of driving, stopped at a convenience store to use the facilities and get some snacks. When Sarah exited the bathroom, she saw Chuck and Jill at the food and drink aisle deep in conversation.

The pair had been talking a lot today. After a couple of days of seeing them like that, Sarah thought that she would have gotten used to it by now. But she hadn't. It still bothered her. And what bothered her more was that today, several of their conversations stopped whenever she got near them. They had done that after she had finished showering and getting ready and stepped out of the bathroom this morning. Then when she put some stuff in the car and came back into the motel room. Then when she came back to the car after turning in the key to the motel office and checking out. And it happened again now as Sarah approached the snack area where the two stood and talked. Jill looked up, saw Sarah, stopped talking, handed Chuck a couple of Clif Bars, said that's what she wanted and then excused herself to go to the restroom. He nodded and then turned to Sarah.

"You want anything to eat?" he asked with a wave at the food.

"Sure," she replied. She turned and looked at the display of food choices. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him also looking as if trying to decide what to get.

"So... talking to Jill again," she said as casually as possible.

He turned his head toward her and looked a little surprised. "Well…yeah…uhhh….yeah."

"I've noticed that you are talking to her a lot."

He again looked at her. This time his face registered puzzlement. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Sarah didn't answer at first. Instead, she reached over to the display in front of her and pulled a bag of mixed nuts from it and acted interested in that for a moment. "It's just…." she started and then stopped. Then she turned and looked directly at him.

"What are you talking about with her?" she said quickly and accusingly. And at the same time, she carefully watched his face, wanting to gauge his reaction.

"Oh…just things…stuff," he answered casually.

"What things? What stuff?" Sarah persisted.

"Nothing important, nothing…not anything to get concerned or worried about, just normal conversation, like movies, books and things," he said.

His face registered absolutely no deceit or lying. Sarah was sure of that. She had been watching him carefully. But one word in his reply almost made her panic. _Normal_. That word had meant heartbreak for her in the past. Before she could say anything, he continued.

"We're just talking. Anything wrong with that?" he asked.

Anything wrong? That is the woman who broke your heart. That is the woman who tried to take you away from me. That is the woman who is trying to take you away from me again. And there was that word that he used – "normal." The two of them had been talking like a normal couple, she thought fearfully. Whenever normal girls came into his life, that frightened her. It frightened her that she would lose Chuck. He craved and wanted normalcy, the normalcy that he once had before the Intersect. He had broken up with her because he wanted normal. He had dated Jill because he thought he could get normal. Sarah had stepped aside that time and not done anything about Jill because she thought that he so desperately wanted normal and deserved normal. But she thought that they had gotten past that. However, seeing him now and the days past, talking with Jill scared her.

Chuck, noticing her silence, now looked at her with concern. He moved a little closer to her. "Hey, we're just talking," he emphasized. Noticing that her eyes were cast downward, he put a hand under her chin and lifted it upward with one finger.

"Hey, Jill and I are just talking," he said again. "Like you and I are talking right now."

She looked into his eyes and could see his concern. Just the way he looked at her right now made her feel better. Yet, Jill still bothered her. "Chuck…that…_woman_…broke your heart and deceived you twice…_twice_! And, and…you're talking to her?"

He shook his head and then looked a little sad. "Yeah…I know Sarah…I was there…remember?" He sighed and looked away from her. After a few seconds, he turned back to her. "Sarah, it's just talking."

No, it's _not_, she thought, it's _normal_. Sometimes that word frightened her more than any assassin, terrorist or enemy agent.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah paid for their food and drinks and then returned to the car while Chuck went to the bathroom. Jill was already in there in the driver's seat as it was her turn to drive. Sarah got in the back but didn't say anything to Jill as they waited for Chuck.

After a moment, Jill turned to Sarah. But she refused to acknowledge the brunette and stared out the window. Jill kept looking at her, waiting for her to turn her way. Finally realizing that Sarah wasn't going to acknowledge her nor start any conversation, Jill sighed.

"Look, we need to talk," she said.

"Talk about what? The weather?" Sarah flippantly responded.

"We need to talk about Chuck."

Sarah's head whipped around to Jill and glared at her. This can't be good, she thought. And she was right.

"I meant what I said earlier about wanting Chuck back," Jill announced.

She looked at Jill with an angry expression. Not even if you have a whole army loaded up to the max with nuclear weapons supporting you will I allow that to happen, she thought determinedly. And she meant it. She was not going to step aside this time. She did not want to lose Chuck to Jill or anyone for that matter. So if Jill wanted a fight….

Jill seemed to take the silence as not hearing because she repeated her announcement.

"Are you waiting for my blessing or approval?" Sarah finally said sarcastically. "Because if you are, you're going to be waiting for a long time. In fact, don't even bother waiting. You won't get it."

"I just wanted you to know where I stood in regards to Chuck. Now I'd like to know where you stand with him," Jill said.

"And why is that?"

"I'm just being honest—"

"That's a switch," Sarah snapped.

"And I think you should do the same," Jill finished.

Sarah looked at Jill with an incredulous expression. "And just why should I be honest with you?" she asked.

"I'm not asking you to be honest with me. I'm asking you to be honest with yourself. And to be honest with Chuck. I have feelings for Chuck and I want to be with him."

Sarah's head whipped toward Jill. _"Stay away from him!"_

She surprised herself with the amount of fury that she said those words out loud. And also surprised Jill, evident by the way the brunette jumped back. But Jill quickly recovered.

"And just why should I stay away from Chuck?" she asked. When Sarah didn't reply, Jill shook her head in annoyance and then glared.

"Should I stay away from Chuck because…because he is yours? Is that why I should stay away from him? Maybe instead of convincing me that Chuck is yours, you should be convincing someone else…someone like…oh, let's see, what's his name? Chuck? Yes, Chuck. Shouldn't you be saying these things to Chuck _if_ you really mean them," Jill said.

Sarah flinched. Dammit, the bitch really knows where to strike, she thought. "It's complicated," she raged at Jill. "It's not easy…the situation that Chuck and I are in. It's…like I said…it's complicated." She mentally cursed again. Talking about her feelings and relationships was definitely _not_ one of her talents. And she had a feeling that Jill knew that.

"Complicated? Let me give you a clue Agent Walker. Being a spy isn't the only thing in life that's complicated. Everything is complicated, every part and piece of our lives are complicated. Just living is complicated. But we do it, we somehow manage to make it work because we want to make it work and we _work_ at making it work," Jill said.

"What exactly are you getting at here? Because I sure don't know," Sarah said.

"I'm saying that your excuses for not acting on or not doing anything about your feelings for Chuck are crap. Maybe it's complicated because you are making it complicated. Or maybe it isn't complicated. Maybe it's something else like…fear, maybe? Maybe you don't want to let your guard down and actually seem like a real person? Or maybe you, the great and mighty Agent Walker, don't want to admit that you actually have feelings for someone? Or maybe it's just you being unwilling and unable to commit to a great guy."

"It's not that easy. I wish it were that easy Jill. You don't how much I wish it were that easy for me and Chuck. But it's not. As much as I wish they did, things just do not magically fall into place and everything is 'Happily ever after'? Real life doesn't work that way. Especially in the type of lives that Chuck and I lead."

"Exactly right! Love and relationships – good and lasting and loving relationships – do _not_ just magically happen. They are earned and achieved – earned and achieved by the two people in that relationship working hard to make it happen. You want a good and lasting and loving relationship with Chuck, Agent Walker? Then fight for it! Fight for it like it's the most important thing in your life. And work for it! Work for it like you want it more than anything else in the world. Chuck is willing, able and dying to work and fight for love. Are you? Are you Agent Walker? Do you love and want Chuck enough to fight and work for him? Or are you just going to keep saying 'It's complicated!' and do nothing? And if you aren't going to do anything, then as I said before, break it off with him and let Chuck move on!"

Sarah glared angrily at Jill. Once again, she cursed at how Jill seemed to know exactly where to hit. The brunette had a point. Her words were correct. But still….

"And what was your excuse?" Sarah said with disgust at Jill.

"What do you mean?"

"You had your chance with Chuck. _Twice you had your chance!_ And what did you do? Twice you threw it all away. You're telling me that if I want a relationship with Chuck to work and fight for it? Where was _your_ willingness to work and fight for a relationship with Chuck then? Why didn't you work and fight for Chuck back in college? Why didn't you work and fight for Chuck months ago? If you wanted to be with Chuck, why didn't _you_ work and fight for him?"

Now it was Jill's turn to look upset and sullen. And Sarah did not let up.

"Do you know how I wish I had a chance like that with Chuck? Twice you had that chance Jill. _Twice!_ If I ever – _ever_ – had that chance, I wouldn't have given up Chuck for anything – ANYTHING!" Sarah declared.

The anger in Jill's face faded and sadness appeared. Then as her head turned and she spotted Chuck walking back to the car, the brunette's expression changed to disbelief.

"Wake up Agent Walker, you have that chance every day," she muttered.

**END CHAPTER 5**


	7. Driving To Distractions

**CHUCK VS. THE JILL RIDE**

**SUMMARY:** Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own "Chuck."

**NOTE:** Please review this chapter! I want to know what you think! Thank you!

**CHAPTER 6 – DRIVING TO DISTRACTIONS**

At the moment, Sarah had no idea what time it was and how long she had been driving. The darkness of the road and the absence of other cars or anything around told her that it was late at night or early in the morning. And how the road looked the same and how it had looked the same for the past hour or so told her that she had been driving for a long time.

Still trying to fool and elude any possible pursuit, Sarah had added a new wrinkle to their traveling by altering when they drove and when they rested in a motel. So right now, it was time for some night traveling.

She glanced to her right at Chuck in the passenger seat. He was asleep with his head tilted back against the headrest of the seat. She smile slightly. How she wished she could pull over somewhere, turn off the car and then curl up with him and go to sleep. Much to her disappointment, he was still sleeping on the floor during their stopovers at motel rooms. While Sarah was grateful that he at least wasn't sleeping with Jill, she still wished that she could be with him. Lately she had really – _really_ – wanted to have him next to her in bed. She hadn't been sleeping well at all these past few nights and she could recall how well she slept those times that she and Chuck spent the night together for cover. CIA agent Sarah Walker needs her nerd to snuggle with, she thought.

As amusing at that sounded inside her head, it was still the truth. More and more, when she got into the motel room bed each night or day, she kept wishing that Chuck would get up from the floor and get into the bed with her. She was hesitant to admit it because of feeling weak for thinking it, but she wanted and needed Chuck to hold her. And if she were being really truthful with herself, it wasn't just to help her sleep better. She wanted and needed assurance that she and Chuck were still…still what? Still OK? Still together? Still a couple? Still boyfriend and girlfriend? Still struggling with their thing under their undercover thing?

Sarah almost slammed her hand against the steering wheel in frustration. How to exactly define what she and Chuck were and what they meant to each other? That really compounded all of the things that Jill said to her.

She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Jill's sleeping form stretched out across the back seat. And for about the millionth time since this road trip started, she wished that Jill wasn't here. Not in the car, not in the same city, not in the same state, not in the same country, not even on this planet. Not _anywhere_ near Chuck.

The latest argument that she and Jill had was still fresh in her mind. She had been replaying it over and over since it happened. Was Jill right? Was that chance for a relationship with Chuck hers for the taking?

And what about what Jill said about fighting and working for a relationship. That made sense, Sarah thought. If she wanted Chuck, she needed to fight and work for him. She just couldn't sit around and wait for it to magically happen. Especially with Jill and every other brunette on the planet wanting him, she fumed.

Sarah shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Taking relationship advice from Jill was probably not the smartest thing to do. She still marveled at how Chuck's ex knew where to strike and hit with words and accusations. Especially where Chuck was concerned.

And other things that Jill said made sense. Or at least they seemed to. What little she saw of her own parents together told her that a good relationship doesn't just happen. The man and wife or boy friend and girl friend need to work at making a good relationship. But then what do I know about relationships? Sarah thought. Since her dad had gotten carted away by the authorities when she was in high school, she had been on her own. Not just on her own but _alone_. She had never had a relationship, at least not a _real_ relationship.

And now Jill was back and after Chuck again. Sarah was not going to let that happen. She wanted him for herself. But how to do that? Fight for it! Work for it! echoed in her mind again. Battling enemy agents seemed easier and less scary than dealing with relationship issues. She wondered how Chuck would react if she discussed it with him. And how he'd react if Jill asked to get back together with him. Surely he wouldn't…would he? she thought. Then a smile formed on her face as she could almost hear Chuck answering that question with a "NO! I am _not_ getting back with Jill. And don't call me Shirley!" He had once pulled that "Surely/Shirley" line on her and when she looked puzzled at him, he immediately shook his head and announced, "I'm going to spend the rest of my life updating your movie watching, aren't I? OK, 'Airplane' is next on the movie watching list."

She had smiled and only partially succeeded in suppressing a snicker after he had said that. He then looked at her in mock sternness and declared "I'm serious!"

She knew that. But she hadn't snickered to make fun of him. It was him saying _spend the rest of my life._ It had thrilled her incredibly at the time. He said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. It had felt wonderful to hear that. It had….

"SARAH!"

Chuck's cry caused Sarah's attention to refocus on driving. The car was way over on the left side of the road and heading toward…. Sarah cursed, quickly turned the steering wheel right, regained control and slowed down a little. She chastised herself and shook her head.

"What's happening? What's going on?" Jill's sleepy voice inquired from the back seat.

"Nothing Jill! Just trying to avoid an animal in the road," Chuck answered.

The brunette repositioned herself on the seat and went back to sleep.

Chuck looked at Sarah with concern. "Pull over and stop and let me do the driving for a while so that you can get some rest."

"Chuck, I'm fine. I just…."

"No, you are not fine. Stop the car and let me drive. You need to get some rest."

She took a quick glance at him. His face was filled with worry and concern. He reached over and touched her shoulder. "Sarah, come on. Take a break. You've done more than your share of driving today. It's my turn…OK?"

She didn't know why but his request annoyed her. Having to turn the driving over to him made her feel weak or as if she failed. But she could also detect a slight tone of pleading in his voice. He is really worried, she thought, and my mind was drifting a lot. She slowed down the car, pulled over to the side of the road and then stopped.

"Fine!" she huffed. It came out louder than she intended. But it still annoyed for some reason. She jerked the gear into park and without a glance his way, shoved open the door and walked around the car to the passenger side. As she opened the front door and got in, she could see him scooting over to the driver's side and adjusting the seat back. She put on her seat belt, leaned back in the seat, crossed her arms and shut her eyes.

He put the car in gear and got back on the road. "Sarah?" he said softly.

She ignored him, pretending to be asleep.

"Sarah?" Chuck repeated.

She still said nothing.

"Come on Sarah. We both know you're not asleep."

Sarah opened her eyes and turned to him. "And just how would you know that?" she asked.

"I can tell."

She looked at him skeptically. "You can tell?" she snorted.

"Yes, I can tell whether you're asleep or not."

And just how could he tell? she wondered. They had not done that many cover sleepovers. Or had they? He couldn't know my sleep patterns and habits from those…could he?

Then she noticed that he was looking at her intently. She returned his look.

"It's all right to be sleepy…OK?" he said softly.

She kept up her look. "It's my job to—"

"It's all right to be sleepy," he emphasized. "Being tired doesn't make you any less incredible than you already are."

She smiled fondly at him. "You think I'm incredible?"

"I don't think, I know you are incredible."

The smile that had formed on her face got even larger. She knew that he thought highly of her. But it always made her feel special to hear him say it. His compliments and praise always touched her and thrilled her. She reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "Well, for the record, you're incredible too," she said.

"Yeah, I know, the Intersect—"

"That has nothing to do with it," she reprimanded him sharply. "You – _you_ – are incredible!"

Chuck looked at her oddly. "You must be really tired," he said.

"Why do you do that? Cut yourself down like that? Underrate yourself?"

He started to say something but then a big yawn erupted from her. He smiled at her. "See? Tired!"

She smiled at him and said nothing. And then weariness did overtake her. She stretched a little and yawned again. She glanced back at Jill. "I wish I could lie down," she muttered.

"I'll keep an eye out for a motel and we'll stop as soon as I find one," he said.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah felt herself being pulled upright and then arms tucking under her and picking her up. She started to protest but the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. She was just too tired and sleepy. She leaned her head against a chest. It felt familiar and smelled familiar. Chuck! she thought. He was carrying her somewhere. She wanted to speak up and ask where they were and what was going on but she couldn't generate the energy to talk. She was just too tired. But she wasn't worried, not worried at all. This was Chuck. Chuck would take care of her. She wrapped her arms around him tightly.

He carried her very gently. She felt him turn around and then he appeared to lean against something. She heard a door squeak open and then things felt different, quieter.

She felt herself being lowered onto something soft. Then his arms were letting her go and unclamping her arms from him. He was leaving her. She tried to protest but the words still wouldn't come. How did I get so tired? Sarah wondered. Then her senses tried to figure out where she was. Cloth…sheets…blankets. Chuck had put her on a bed. He moved her over so that her head rested on a pillow. Then she felt her shoes coming off and then a blanket put over her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice cried out for him to _not_ stop with her shoes, to take off more. And to get into the bed with her. And then she fell asleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah opened her eyes. She quickly checked her surroundings. She was in a bed. Alone. She glanced to her left. Another bed was beside hers and she could see the form of Jill sleeping in it. Sarah's eyes darted rapidly around the room.

Chuck! Where was Chuck? And how did they get into a motel room? The last thing she clearly remembered was falling asleep in the car. Then partial and vague memories and images of him carrying and putting her to bed came to her mind. That had seemed like a dream. But now she could see that actually had happened.

She sat up in bed and glanced down at the floor. Chuck! The sight of him soothed and comforted her. She rolled over onto her side to get a better look at him, to really look at him. He was asleep. He had told her last night that he could tell when she was asleep. She didn't say anything at the time but she could tell when he was asleep too. She studied his face, looking at his closed eyes and his slightly open mouth. She leaned forward more, watched him and enjoyed the feelings that filled her. But it was only a momentary respite. As she lay back onto the bed and the motel ceiling filled her vision, one troubling thought flooded her mind. How did Jill know all of those things about Chuck? She had suspicions. Suspicions that she had avoided thinking. Suspicions that something had been going on with him and Jill before this trip. And something he had said to Jill on that first day after they rescued him came back to her.

"_Is that on the level? What you told Sarah?"_

_Jill looked hurt. "Chuck? How could you—"_

"_Jill!" Chuck interrupted. He held up one finger. "Let's NOT have that discussion AGAIN, OK? I thought we came to an agreement on that."_

"Let's not have that discussion again!" he had said. Had he and Jill somehow been in communication with each other before this whole mess started? Maybe way before? What he said confirmed some suspicions that she had before the meeting with Jill at the warehouse took place. Sarah thought back to when those suspicions started. Things had not exactly been going well for the two of them at the time. And Chuck had been moody. She remembered that day….

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_What?" Sarah said trying to keep her jaw from dropping in surprise._

"_I'm sorry, I'm kind of busy, I can't make it," Chuck replied._

_The two were standing at the Nerd Herd counter in the BuyMore and Sarah had suggested they go on a date. She had been concerned about him as he had not been the Chuck that she was used to. He seemed down and depressed. And she admitted to herself that he hadn't exactly had a lot to be happy about lately. She knew she had really hurt him when she nixed spending some time with him in the suburbs house. Then Cole Barker had come along. And he had his hopes destroyed of getting the Intersect out of his head when Orion got killed. And if that wasn't enough, Beckman's talk to him after that with her admitting that she WANTED him to keep being the Intersect certainly put a damper on his life. No, there's nothing at all for Chuck to be depressed about, is there? Sarah thought sarcastically._

_But that was why she suggested a date. She wanted to try to cheer him up and thought spending some time together would help a little. _

"_Where are you going? What are you doing?" she asked._

_He looked annoyed and rolled his eyes in response._

"_Chuck! It is my job to protect you and I need to know where you are at all times."_

"_Yes, I know. It's YOUR JOB to be with me. Then IF you have to know, Morgan and I are going to play video games. OK?"_

_Although she couldn't blame him for sounding annoyed, she wasn't used to him acting like this. And she didn't like him feeling bad. She needed to do something. "Chuck, you can play video games with Morgan any time. We need to spend time together. We need to solidify the cover, especially after our getting back together from that breakup," she said._

_Oh, that was the wrong thing to say. If he looked annoyed before, he looked angry now. She had to stop herself from wincing. Playing the agent-asset card in order to spend time with him was a bad way to go about this right now. But it was all she had while under Casey's surveillance. _

"_I'm sorry. I'm busy," he replied sharply. And then he started to walk away._

_She grabbed his arm and then read him the riot act about the importance of the cover and national security and doing what was needed for that. And he finally agreed. Rather grudgingly and hesitatingly agreed, she noticed. But she could be plenty persuasive when she wanted to be. And she WANTED to be. Truthfully she wanted and needed to be with him. She didn't like how things had been off with them since all that had happened. _

_They had seemed off even more after Orion had gotten killed. Sarah wondered if that Intersect creator had said or done something to Chuck to contribute to that. When she visited him in his bedroom after everything that had happened with Orion, Vincent and Beckman and talked with him, she kept feeling that something was wrong or off. That whole conversation that they had just didn't feel quite right. Chuck said that he still trusted her but that too just didn't feel right. Her instincts were on edge when she left him after their talk. So she checked all of the surveillance footage since they had gotten that computer from Orion. There wasn't anything in the Castle tapes. But the tapes of his room from that evening through to the next morning had been suspiciously destroyed. Even her conversation with Chuck was deleted. Casey was at a loss as to the cause and that compounded her suspicions. Orion may be gone but Sarah still thought that something had happened or something Orion said or did added to that gap between her and Chuck. It also didn't help that Ellie had persuaded him to break up with her for a while in the middle of all of this. She was still furious with his sister about that. _

_Yes, there definitely had been more days than usual in which Chuck was down and depressed. And Sarah wanted to do something about that. She wanted Chuck – her Chuck – back and she wanted to bridge that gap and get them back to where they were. And in order to that, they needed to spend time together. So they were going to spend time together tonight whether he wanted to or not._

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

_Chuck and Sarah sat together on the edge of the fountain outside of the Bartowski apartment relaxing. They had just finished a delicious dinner with Ellie and Devon and had wandered outside for "some quiet time" as Sarah had put it when she suggested this to Chuck in front of his sister._

_Having dinner with Ellie and Devon was not exactly what Sarah had wanted for spending time with him. She preferred to be alone with him. But the dinner with his sister and her fiancé was the best she could manage. He had put up a quite a fight against doing this cover maintenance tonight. With him being so down from all that happened, the cover dating was probably more annoying to him than usual. She knew that he didn't like living a lie and she knew that he wanted something real with her. She wanted something real with him. But she couldn't right now. Especially right now with Beckman really on edge after everything that had happened with Orion. So she played the cover date card so that they could have something – anything – with each other. In truth, she enjoyed the cover dates because she got to be with him. At times he seemed to enjoy them. And other times, he seemed frustrated by them. Like right now. _

_She could easily tell that he was bothered by it and probably everything else all night. He was a little off, a little not with it, a little not-Chuck tonight. All through dinner, although he seemed pleasant enough and seemed to be enjoying himself, Sarah could see things that tipped her off about that, little nuances that she picked up on from knowing him so well. Like the way he kept gripping his fork tightly while he ate his food, at how he ate quickly as if he was trying to get the evening over with as soon as possible and the frowns that she saw on his face every now and then._

_But now that they were alone, she hoped that he would talk to her and open up about everything that had been bothering him. But he kept silent. And he seemed tense. I guess I'll have to help with that tension, Sarah thought happily._

_She moved her foot against his foot and ankle and stroked. Chuck looked down at their encountering feet and then at her inquiringly. She smiled, snuggled against his side and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Put your arm around me Chuck," she suggested._

_He sighed. "Is it really necessary? No one is watching us?"_

"_You don't know that."_

"_Yes, I do. All the drapes are closed on the windows and Ellie is not peaking out of them. 'The Mentalist' is on right now. That's one of Ellie's favorite shows. So she's watching that, not us," he replied._

_Dammit, this feels nice. And his arm around me would make it even nicer. Can't he just play along and have some fun? she thought._

"_Chuck! Just put your arm around me. It's for the cover," she said out loud._

_Too late, she realized, that was the wrong thing to say. He immediately scooted away from her with an annoyed look on his face. Uh oh, she thought, here it comes now, he's going to complain about cover maintenance again. And he did. But not in the way she expected._

"_I need a break from this," he said._

_Panic immediately sprang up in her. What did he say? Break up? No! He didn't, did he? she thought frantically. _

_Before she could reply, he continued. "I need a break from this…this cover maintenance stuff Sarah. I wish this was…well, I want…well it doesn't matter I guess. I just need a break from this pretending. I need to be in the real world for a change."_

"_What are you talking about? What's going on?"_

_He stood up and faced her. "I just want to take a break…like five days or a week from this fake dating or cover maintenance or whatever you want to call it and have some time to myself. OK? Can we just not have to do this stuff for a while? That would be OK, wouldn't it?"_

_No, it would not be OK. She didn't want that. If they did that, when would she see him? She wanted to be with him. And how would they heal this gap and get things back to the way they were?_

"_Would that be OK?" he repeated as he looked at her for an answer._

_Sarah didn't know what to say. So she nodded. _

"_OK. Thank you. I'll see you in a few days or so." And with that, he turned around and walked back into the apartment. She had almost reminded him to kiss her good night as part of the cover but then stopped as she wondered if he would have._

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

_Sarah glanced at her watch and looked out the window toward the front of the BuyMore. Her watch confirmed that it had been about two minutes since the last time she checked. And there was still no Chuck walking out of the store and heading toward the Orange Orange for lunch._

_She sighed. Third day in a row, lunch time came and no Chuck. She checked her iPhone for what felt like the hundredth time today. No missed calls, no voice mails, no texts. Third day in a row without a visit, a phone call or message from Chuck. Three days, three lonely days, Sarah pondered. She eyed the BuyMore doors, wishing for and willing that tall, brown-haired nerd to walk through them and march over here to the Orange Orange. But no such luck._

_Had it been only three days? It had seemed like three weeks. He said he wanted five days off from the cover dating. And evidently that included not seeing and not talking to her. Not talking to her at all. She checked her iPhone again. Not even one text from him!_

_And since there hadn't been any assignments from Beckman and he hadn't flashed, there hadn't been any reason for him to come to the Orange Orange or to the Castle. Except to see her. Which he usually did. But not since he took this break, Sarah lamented._

_She thought briefly about calling Casey and seeing if she could find out anything. She had done that yesterday, trying to hide the fact that she was calling about Chuck. But Casey, well aware of the break due to the surveillance, had seen right through her, smirked a "He's fine Walker! But if you don't believe it, you can ask one of the brunettes that are visiting him!" and hung up._

_You had better kidding John Casey! she vowed after pocketing her iPhone. More than likely the NSA agent was pushing her buttons. But still, the possibility of Chuck meeting someone else or seeing someone else during this break concerned her a little. Well, maybe more than a little, she admitted._

_She tried to tell herself to suck it up because she had done this before. This wasn't the first time that she had to go on her own. Lou, Jill, so third time? Or fourth time? She had trouble remembering for sure because she tried to forget those times, times that she had to spend without or away from Chuck. _

_Well, at least this is just a break, not a breakup. But she couldn't believe how much she missed him. It's been just three days, three days! Get a grip! she berated herself. But no Chuck, no Chuck at all. It was…what was it? _

_Lonely, disappointing, empty, sad, frustrating immediately came to mind. She wondered if she should try popping in on him at the BuyMore or calling him. How would he act if she made a surprise visit?_

_The door to the Orange Orange opened diverting Sarah from her thoughts. She looked up, hoping for her tall, dark-haired nerd. This visitor was tall and dark haired but not Chuck. Ellie._

"_Hi Sarah!" Ellie greeted her brightly but Sarah could tell that something was on the mind of the Bartowski sister._

"_Hi Ellie," Sarah returned the greeting civilly. Although Ellie had been the same friendly and warm older Bartowski at dinner the other night and acted like all was normal and the same, Sarah was still not quite ready to forgive and forget. Persuading Chuck to break up with her was still a sore point. But she reminded herself that she needed to be nice to Ellie for Chuck's sake. "What brings you here? Do you need a yogurt fix?" she asked while she formed a smile on her face._

"_That would be nice. Scoop some up for me and yourself as well. My treat. I'll take vanilla, you get whatever flavor you want and let's sit here and talk."_

_Talk? She DOES have something on her mind, Sarah thought as she scooped some portions into separate cups for her and Ellie. She walked over to the table where Ellie sat and joined her. _

"_What's on your mind?" Sarah asked._

"_Hopefully what's on your mind," the older Bartowski responded with a smile._

_Sarah said nothing in reply but she couldn't keep a genuine smile from forming on her own face as the image of Chuck came to her mind._

"_I can always tell when you're thinking of Chuck," Ellie said. "You get this certain gleam or sparkle in your eyes." _

_Sarah felt a blush forming as Ellie looked at her waiting for a confirmation. Sarah diverted the conversation. "You wanted to ask me something about Chuck?" she inquired._

_Ellie nodded and then got to it. "Did you two have a fight or argument or something?"_

_Sarah hesitated to answer. She had to be careful here. She didn't know what, if anything, Chuck had told his sister about the break they were currently on. "Why are you asking?" she finally settled on._

"_Chuck has been…well, kind of moping or down. I'm not really sure. I tried to talk to him about what was bothering him but he was more tight-lipped than usual. I couldn't get a thing out of him. So I was wondering if you knew anything."_

_What to say? How to say it? Sarah thought. "I know Chuck has been down lately. But I'm not sure about what the cause is. So I'm in the dark too," she said. But memories of the suburbs home, Cole Barker and Orion filled her head._

_Ellie nodded again. She scooped a spoonful of frozen yogurt to her mouth. After she swallowed, she stared down at the cup and seemed to be trying to decide on whether or not to say anything more._

"_Is there something else?" Sarah asked._

_And for the third time, Ellie nodded. "I don't know if it's related to how he has been acting but…well, it caused me some concern and…well, I was wondering if you knew anything about it."_

"_Anything about what?"_

"_The day of our dinner, before it, that afternoon when Chuck got home from the BuyMore, he had just gotten the mail and was looking through it near the kitchen. I walked into the room and came up behind him. I guess he didn't hear me because he didn't turn his head or greet me or anything, he just kept looking through the mail. It looked like just bills and junk mail. But then he came to this one envelope and…well, I only got a quick look at it because when I saw it, it surprised me and I guess I gasped or something, because Chuck realized I was there and he quickly stuffed it in his pocket."_

"_Ellie, what was so surprising about this letter?"_

"_As I said, I only got a quick look…but…well, I swear that there was something on there that had a prison address or something like that on it. I asked him about it but I couldn't get anything out of him," Ellie explained. She paused to eat some more yogurt. Then she turned and looked directly at Sarah. "Why would Chuck be getting a letter from a prison? He doesn't know anybody in prison…does he?"_

_Oh yes he does, Sarah thought with dread and anger. Jill! Jill is in prison. Is that bitch trying to get him in her clutches again?_

"_Sarah?"_

_Ellie brought Sarah out of her thoughts about Jill. She turned to Chuck's sister and looked inquiringly at her._

"_Do you know anything about this?" Ellie questioned. "For a second there, you looked…you looked really, REALLY, angry."_

"_Sorry Ellie. I was just concerned and worried about Chuck," Sarah replied. "Did the envelope have Chuck's name and address typed or in handwriting."_

"_Handwriting."_

_Well, more indication that the letter could be from Jill, Sarah raged. It definitely wasn't a form letter or a bulk mailout. She looked at Ellie. "I don't know what is going on here Ellie. But I'm going to find out," she said firmly._

_Ellie smiled. "Good. And you will let me know what is going on?"_

_Sarah thought for a moment. If this letter was from Jill, it might be risky for Ellie to find out too much. "If I find out anything, I want to talk to Chuck first. I'm sorry Ellie, but Chuck comes first with me. So I'll need to talk to him before I tell you anything. I'm sorry if—"_

"_No, no, don't apologize Sarah. You're thinking of Chuck. And that makes you all the better in my eyes," Ellie replied. She stood up and tossed her empty yogurt cup and spoon in the trash. "I need to get back to work. Let me know what happens, OK? If you can't tell me all of the details, at least let me know if things are OK."_

"_I will Ellie. And thank you for letting me know about this. I have been concerned about Chuck for a while. Now maybe I can get some answers," Sarah said._

_The second Ellie left, Sarah got out her iPhone and called Casey. _

"_What is it Walker?" Casey answered after the second ring._

"_Is Chuck in the store right now?"_

"_Walker, you do know the definition of a break, right?"_

"_Casey, I do not want to talk to Chuck, I just need to know if he is in the store right now."_

"_Negative. He went out on a service call," the NSA agent responded after a moment. And then he added, "Why are you asking? What's this all about?"_

"_I need to go to his apartment and search his room. I'm leaving right now. Keep me posted on his whereabouts and if he comes anywhere near his apartment. I don't want him knowing about this," Sarah explained._

"_What's going on?"_

"_I'm not sure. Ellie just came in here and was concerned about some things. So I want to go search his apartment right now."_

"_Is the geek in trouble?" Casey asked._

"_As I said, I'm not sure. I'll let you know later." And with that, Sarah ended the call, locked up the Orange Orange and went to Chuck's apartment._

_She felt a little guilty for invading his privacy like this but convinced herself that it was for his safety and well being. She searched his room thoroughly for that letter that Ellie saw but found nothing. No letter, no envelope from a prison, nothing from Jill. Not a thing or trace of Jill anywhere in his room. Maybe Ellie was mistaken, maybe I overreacted about this, she thought. She was relieved but still a little concerned._

_And two days later, Chuck ended the break and seemed in a better mood, much to Sarah's relief. She wanted to ask him about that letter but wasn't sure how without revealing her snooping. She didn't think it would be a good idea to add to everything else that had happened between them lately. And then the meeting with Jill came up._

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah turned her head away from the motel room ceiling and down to the floor where Chuck slept. She had been avoiding the obvious answer to how Jill knew so much. She had been avoiding that answer because she didn't want to think it or believe it. But with everything that had happened, it was the only conclusion. She couldn't avoid it or hide from it any longer; she had to face the facts.

Chuck had been talking to Jill before that meeting in the warehouse took place. That's why he wasn't worried or nervous about meeting with her then. And that's how Jill knew so much. He had been talking and meeting with her before then.

**END CHAPTER 6**


	8. The Final Problem

**CHUCK VS. THE JILL RIDE**

**SUMMARY:** Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own "Chuck."

**NOTE:** Time for some recommendations!If you're not reading "Chuck vs The Sound of Music by quistie64 and "Chuck vs Life, Love & Lies" by uplink2, please check those two stories out. They are definitely worth reading!

**ANOTHER NOTE:** Now brace yourselves because this chapter is rough on Sarah. But don't worry! It will be OK soon.

**CHAPTER 7 – THE FINAL PROBLEM**

It had been a long day, a long hot day.

Still trying to avoid regular traveling patterns, Sarah, Chuck and Jill decided to travel during the daylight hours instead of during the night on this day. And that proved to be a mistake.

The temperature got up to 100 degrees by noon and when their car's air conditioning gave out, traveling conditions turned miserable. After about two hours of enduring the heat, they finally found a mechanic in one town who could fix the AC. But there was one problem. He didn't have the right part. He located the part in another town, some 60 miles away and said that he could have the part by tomorrow and fix the car then or they could drive to the town themselves, get the part and then have the AC fixed in that town at a mechanic that he knew.

They opted for the latter alternative and spent another hour driving in a hot car, got to the town, got the part, got to the mechanic and got the car fixed. And by that time, it was around 6 p.m. and all three of them were tired, cranky and hot, especially hot. So they found a motel, got a room – after making sure that the air conditioning worked in the room – and stopped for the night.

And now, late in the evening, they were sleeping. Well, at least I'm trying to sleep, Sarah thought.

She lay in bed still wide awake with her thoughts racing. She had been thinking about Chuck. She couldn't stop thinking about the curly-haired nerd. _Her_ curly-haired nerd, she thought territorially. Ever since realizing and finally admitting to herself yesterday that Chuck had been somehow communicating with Jill while she was in prison, she had wanted to talk to him. To talk to him alone. She had hoped all day long some opportunity or chance to do this would occur. But it never happened. Jill was always there. Always there, Sarah fumed.

She rolled over onto her side and tried to get more comfortable in the bed. After a few minutes, she rolled back the other way. She sighed. She just couldn't relax and go to sleep. There was just too much on her mind. And since it all concerned Chuck, that made it all the more difficult to sleep.

She rolled over to the side of the bed and looked down at the floor where he slept, thinking that seeing him might provide some calm or peace. Much to her surprise, he was awake and stared right back at her. Sarah didn't know what to say. She had assumed that he was asleep like Jill.

"Hi," he whispered.

"Hi yourself," Sarah whispered back.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"Uh huh, yeah, right. Does someone who's fine, toss and turn in bed and sigh 23 times in 27 minutes?"

"You were keeping count of that?" she inquired.

"Well, it kind of got to be a game and helped to pass time. But it didn't have the same effect as counting sheep." He sat up, placed his arms on the edge of the bed and then rested his chin on his arms and looked at her with an inquiring eye. "Seriously though, what's wrong? What's bothering you?"

"I'm fine," she repeated. Chuck frowned and looked more intently at her. Sarah turned away for a moment and then turned back. He was still frowning and still looking at her. She sighed.

"Now the total is at 24," he said. And he still looked at her waiting for an answer. Waiting for a real answer, not an "I'm fine." But she wasn't going to tell him about what she had been thinking. She couldn't. She just didn't want to talk about it with Jill right there in the next bed. She finally took an easy excuse.

"I just can't relax and go to sleep. Everything just keeps going over and over again in my mind and I can't get to sleep," she explained.

Chuck said nothing in reply. He got up and sat on the edge of the bed and then reached over, gripped her shoulders with his hands and turned her over on her stomach. Before she could protest or even say anything, she felt his hands on her shoulders and back, massaging, rubbing, and stroking. It was so soothing and comforting.

She had discovered Chuck's splendid massaging talents months ago during a late night at his apartment. They had finished a mission and had the debriefing at Casey's. After that, it was really late and she was exhausted and as she and Chuck left Casey's apartment, she complained about having to drive back to the hotel. Chuck suggested she just stay over with him. Sarah immediately agreed.

They climbed in through the Morgan door and once inside the apartment, Sarah sat down on the edge of the bed and let out a little groan and muttered how her back, neck and shoulders were killing her. And then she felt Chuck's hands massaging her shoulders. And it felt _really_ good. It was like magic how he took away all of the soreness, tension and stress. And she didn't want him to stop. When he paused, thinking that she had enough, she immediately lay down on her stomach on the bed, and demanded more. And he gladly complied. At times, she had to will herself not to moan out loud in pleasure at his touch. It was wonderful and soon under his magic fingers, she fell asleep.

She had never forgotten that massage and tried to take advantage of those talents whenever possible. She glanced over at Jill. She appeared to be asleep or pretending to be asleep. And what do I care what that bitch thinks about Chuck massaging my back? To hell with her! In fact, let the bitch wake up and see this, Sarah suddenly thought.

His hands moved expertly up and down her back. It didn't take long for her to relax. And soon she started to feel drowsy. As his hands continued to massage and she thought about how great it felt, her eyelids started to ease shut. And soon she was asleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah opened her eyes. She looked around and could tell from some light penetrating the motel window curtains that it was morning. Or afternoon, she thought. She had no idea how long she had been asleep. Chuck's massage had really done a number on her. She stretched and yawned quietly. She felt and glanced around her bed. Alone, no Chuck.

Disappointment filled her mind. Once again, she found herself wishing that he was in the bed with her. She had hoped that after the massage and she fell asleep that he joined her. But no, she was alone. Why don't you just tell him to get into bed with you? a voice inside her head griped. Sarah leaned over the side of the bed, ready to wake up Chuck. Blanket, pillow, but no Chuck. She quickly looked at the other bed. Empty; no Jill.

She shot out of the bed and hurriedly looked around. Bathroom door open and bathroom empty. She looked at the table. No car keys.

Jill! Jill had run off with Chuck! Sarah thought in panic. She grabbed her jeans lying on the bed and quickly jerked them on. She grabbed her shoes and got them on. She started toward the door but stopped when she heard a key in the door knob. She looked with hope. The door opened and in walked Chuck and Jill talking. Chuck was carrying a bag.

Sarah's first thoughts were relief – relief that Chuck hadn't left her. And then shame filled her. How could she think that he would do that? But that was followed by concern and jealousy as she noticed once again how casually and normally he and Jill talked as they entered the room. So into their conversation were the two that at first they didn't notice Sarah standing there. But as Jill giggled at something Chuck said, he turned and saw Sarah and smiled at her.

"Hey! Good morning!" he said brightly. Then he frowned as he noticed that she didn't return the greeting and he got a closer and longer look at her. "Are you OK?" he asked as he set the bag on the table and moved toward her. Once again, he looked closely at her, studying her. And evidently what he saw worried him as he reached over and gripped both of her shoulders.

"Are you OK?" he asked again only this time, softer and with more concern.

Sarah said nothing at first. Then she grabbed his hand. "I need to talk to you," she said as she pulled him out of the motel room and down the hallway.

They walked through the hallway with her hand firmly grasping his the whole way. She glanced backwards to see if Jill was following. Fortunately, she was not. Sarah guided him to a room with ice and vending machines.

Chuck looked at her again with concern. "Sarah, what's wrong? What's going on?" he asked. Then a look of realization appeared on his face.

"You…you didn't think that we…I…that I abandoned you…did you? You didn't think that, did you?"

Although Sarah thought that she kept her expression neutral when he asked that, something on her face must have made Chuck realize that she had been thinking exactly that. He immediately moved forward and embraced her. She returned his embrace and buried her face into his chest, luxuriating in the feel of him and in being held by him. This trip and everything else had been wearing on her and it had been a while since Chuck had held her. She relished having his arms around her and didn't want it to end.

"Hey…we just went out to get some breakfast," he explained while he continued to hold her. "That's all. We weren't leaving. We…I would never do that. I didn't wake you up because you had so much trouble getting to sleep last night that I thought you could use the sleep."

He stopped talking and stroked her hair and then tried to move her head upward to look at him. But she kept her face buried in his chest as she wanted to stay there and not leave. He stroked her hair again.

"OK, from here on, I will wake you up and let you know where I…we, where we are going. I'm sorry about that. But I really thought…oh, never mind. I…we won't do that again. OK?"

This time she did look up at him. She nodded.

"OK then…let's go eat that breakfast we got," he said as he let her go and started to walk back toward the room. But Sarah grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"I still need to talk to you," she said.

He stopped and turned back to her. "Talk to me about what?"

"Why were you talking to Jill?"

Chuck looked puzzled. "Sarah, I thought we had already discussed that. We just talk, OK? It's nothing to get concerned about. And this morning…well, we…we just went out to get some breakfast and we just talked while we did to help pass—"

"I don't mean just now, I mean in the past, before all of this happened, you talking to her then."

Sarah watched him carefully. For a moment, he looked puzzled and then surprise and some guilt formed on his face. Then she knew. She had confirmation of what she had suspected.

"You've been writing to Jill while she has been in prison, haven't you? You've been talking to her and visiting her, haven't you?" she accused.

What Chuck's expression changed to upon hearing her words, Sarah wasn't sure. Guilt? Surprise? Fear? Dread? Regret?

"Oh…you found out about…." He didn't finish. Nor did he say anything further. Sarah kept trying to read the look on his face, trying to figure out what he was thinking at that moment while she waited for some explanation from him, _any_ explanation. But he said nothing more.

"Chuck, why were you talking with Jill? I thought that after all that she had done to you, that…well, I thought that you were finished with her. And you were actually visiting her in prison? Chuck, what is going on?" Sarah asked, trying to fight back the feelings of hopelessness and fear that started to fill her.

He sighed and then ran one hand through his hair. He appeared to not know what to say.

"Chuck, that was really dangerous and foolish to go off by yourself like that. You could have—"

"Sarah, I was in a federal maximum security prison. They are kind of security conscious, you know? Come on, it's not that big a deal."

"NO BIG DEAL?" She wanted to grab him and shake him. He visited Jill in prison and says it's no big deal?

"It's not, it's no big deal," he emphasized. "I just needed someone to talk to, I just—"

"Needed someone to talk to? Why didn't you come to me Chuck? If you needed someone to talk to, why didn't you come to me? I thought you trusted me?"

"I _do_ trust you Sarah! I do. It's just that….I just needed someone to talk to…to talk about everything…and I didn't have anyone."

"What do you mean? What do you mean you didn't have anyone to talk to?"

"Well I don't! Who…who could I talk to about…about my spy life? None of my friends or family can know about it. And…well…could I talk to Casey? That would be like talking to a statue. Well, maybe not a statue because a statue wouldn't grunt. But you know what I mean. You talk to him about something, anything, he makes you feel worse. And—"

"Chuck! You can talk to me! You can talk to me about anything! Why wouldn't you come to me if you needed someone to talk to?"

He got silent and appeared to be seriously thinking about his answer. What was going on? Usually Chuck talked nonstop about things. But now, he didn't seem to have anything to say.

"Chuck, you do know that you can talk to me about anything? Anything! You know that, right?" she persisted.

Silence again. _Didn't_ he know that he could talk to her about anything? Didn't he know that? How could he not know that? she wondered. Surely he did. She tried again.

"And why would you talk to Jill? Especially after all that she has done to you. Not to mention that this is the woman who has betrayed her country, committed treason and TRIED TO KILL ME!"

She had raised her voice on that last part and she could see that it hit Chuck hard. He actually looked sick for a moment. Then he avoided looking at her. He bent his head down and stood there and rubbed his hand through his hair and bit his lips several times. He slowly let out a long breath. Then he started to turn toward her but chose instead to face away, to not look at her, as if it would pain him to say what he was going to say next to her face.

"I'm not going to lie to you Sarah. And I'm not going to make up some story about my reasons for talking to Jill and visiting with her, like telling you that it was to grill her for information or some spy stuff like that. I will be honest with you about this. And you're right, Jill has done all of that and probably a lot more." Then he did turn to her and looked right at her. "And I have never – _never_ – forgiven her for trying to kill you. _And I never will. Never!_"

He let out another breath before he continued. "The truth is that my reasons for talking and visiting Jill were totally and completely selfish and self-centered. It was all about me…just me. I just…I wanted to…." He stopped, shook his head and sighed. "It sometimes gets hard for me…it gets really hard for me to have to deal with all of this…this…being the Intersect, trying to be a spy, going undercover, hiding everything from Ellie, Devon and my friends, lying to them, staying in the car while you and Casey risk your lives, knowing that you're in danger and I'm not a spy like Bryce or Cole who could rescue you, constantly seeing you risking your life for me and I can't do anything to help and…and…it just gets really hard and difficult for me. It has been especially hard throughout all of these recent missions with all that happened. And…." He didn't finish.

As she heard what he said and saw the tortured look on his face, Sarah realized that it didn't often occur to her about how the spy life and being the Intersect affected him and how hard it was on him. And she realized and understood that he _did_ need someone to talk to and someone to listen to him. But why didn't he come to her to talk? Why did he go to Jill?

She reached out and squeezed his arm and then slid her hand down to grasp his to emphasize her support. "Chuck, I understand. I do. Beckman, Casey and I do tend to take you for granted and forget that you haven't had the training that we have had. And I do understand you needing someone to talk to. But why didn't you come to me? You could have talked to me," she said softly.

Again his face filled with pain as he looked like he really did not want to say what he was going to say.

"Well…that…that didn't work out too well that one time…remember?" he replied.

"What do you mean?" She had almost shouted. She felt defensive and angry about what he had just said. But what did he mean? He didn't have to go to Jill in order to talk to someone. She especially didn't want him to go to Jill. He could come to her to talk, to talk about anything. Didn't he know that? Why wouldn't he know that?

"Well…it's just that…that last time…." he explained. And then his voice trailed off and he stopped and looked away.

She reached up, grabbed his chin and turned him back to her, back to look at her. "Chuck! You don't think you can talk to me?"

He looked sad again. "Talking to you didn't…didn't work out too well that one time…remember?"

Sarah shook her head in puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

"Remember that case that we worked on, that one with that boyfriend of Anna's after she and Morgan broke up? Remember how Morgan got dragged into it? I was having a tough time spying on and doing those things to Morgan. And it bothered me, it really bothered me a lot. I tried talking to you about it, but…well…."

Once again, he turned away from her. Sarah did remember that case and she did remember Chuck trying to talk to her about Morgan. He spilled out all of his concerns, fears and troubles about the whole thing and how Morgan had been such a good friend to him and how he considered Morgan to be family. And what did she do after he opened up to her like that? What did she say in response?

"You just went into spy mode and talked about the case," Chuck said, finishing her thought.

She felt badly. "Chuck…I…I told you later that I…I explained to you why I didn't say anything that time. It was because I had never a friend like that. I didn't know what it was like…."

Chuck nodded his head. "I know, I know. That wasn't your area of expertise. I know. And I understand." He tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. Then he looked back at Sarah.

"Then we had that case in the suburbs and I asked you—" He clamped his mouth shut, evidently not wanting to rehash what had happened then. "Anyway, after that, I was feeling so down and things just really got to me…it just all hit me and I felt so alone and down and…and I just wanted someone to talk to so bad. And…and then a…after that…a letter came in the mail for me. It was from Jill. She just wrote me out of the blue. Her letter said that she was lonely and…well, I kind of felt sorry for her. And I was feeling bad and…and…I wrote her back. We exchanged a few letters. Then all of that other stuff was going on and then in one letter, she asked me to visit her. I thought and thought and thought about it and just did it. I faked going out on a service call for the Nerd Herd and went out and saw her. And we talked and she listened, she _listened to me_. I didn't tell her anything secret or confidential or anything about the Intersect. She already knew I was a spy, so I just talked about that stuff in general and about my life. I mostly just talked about…well…how hard it was for me sometimes to balance the two lives and not go crazy. And she listened, she _listened to me_."

He paused for a moment and looked sad. "It probably wasn't the brightest thing to do. I know that it was disrespectful to you to do that. And it was probably very selfish of me. And yes, it was Jill. But I was desperate. I really, _really_ needed someone to talk to…and…who could I have talked to about all of that? If I had tried Casey, he'd just say 'Man up!' or 'Grow a pair!' and insult me. And I wanted to talk to you about it Sarah. But I tried that once and you didn't know how and, and…well…when the letter came from Jill, I just thought…thought that maybe, here…finally…here was someone that I could talk to."

Sarah cursed for how she acted when Chuck opened up to her about Morgan that time. Now she felt even guiltier and angrier with herself. If only she had talked to Chuck and had just listened to him that time, then he may not have turned to Jill.

"So you have been visiting her for a while?" she asked in a quiet voice.

After a moment, he nodded. "Just a few times. I faked going out on Nerd Herd service calls and swung by there once or twice. And I…." He stopped talking and turned away as if he still found it difficult to look at her while he talked. Now a lot of things made sense to Sarah. Like that letter that Ellie asked her about and why he didn't seem upset about seeing Jill in that meeting in the warehouse. She didn't know what to say. And he kept babbling.

"All of it, the letters, the visits was just talking, nothing more…I promise…I just needed someone to talk to. I just had days where everything was really getting to me. I needed, wanted _someone_ to talk to, I really did, otherwise I would have gone crazy. And don't worry, I never said anything about that the Intersect, not a thing, she doesn't know anything about that. And I didn't say anything specific about missions. I was mostly just talking about myself and my life."

Sarah swallowed. I wasn't worried about the Intersect, she thought, that wasn't what concerned me, that didn't concern me at all. But out loud, she said, "But Chuck…Jill, JILL? Do you know how it makes me feel knowing that it was Jill that you turned to?" She surprised herself with a rare moment of honestly expressing her emotions and feelings to Chuck. It was hard for her to do. But she had to say it. And somehow she managed to.

He cast his eyes downward and shifted his feet uncomfortably. "Maybe like how I felt when I knocked on your door hoping to spend some time with you and Bryce Larkin answered? Or maybe like how I felt when I saw you with Cole Barker? So yeah, I have kind of an inkling of how it feels," he said quietly.

Sarah winced and lowered her head. Now she found it hard to look at him. She swallowed several times while trying to think of how to reply to what he had just said. But words were really hard to come by. He too seemed to unable to talk for the moment and they both just stood there not speaking for a few seconds. And then Sarah finally broke the silence. "Had it really gotten that bad for you?" she asked.

He didn't say anything. Instead, he looked directly at her and nodded.

And for a moment, Sarah could see all of the pain and sadness from her not talking and listening to him about Morgan, her rejecting him for that suburbs house date, Cole Barker, Orion and everything else in his eyes. A part of her understood why. But still…why Jill? She looked up at him.

"Well…Chuck…if…if that's what you want," she finally concluded and turned to go back to the motel room.

Chuck's hand gripped her arm and turned her back to face him. Sarah was shocked at what she saw. His mouth was in a stern frown and his eyes flashed with anger as his grip on her arm tightened. She had never seen Chuck look this angry. In fact, in all the time that she had known him, she had rarely seen him look angry at all.

And for a moment, Sarah thought that he was going to yell at her. But then something inside of him seemed to switch off or he regained control because the anger, by all appearances, faded away. He let go of her arm and then he spoke to her very quietly and slowly. And although spoken quietly and slowly, the words had just as much impact on Sarah as if they had been screamed at her.

"_When has any of this ever been about what I want?"_

Then he turned away from her and walked back to the motel room, leaving Sarah in stunned silence. She didn't know what to say. And as he walked away, she tried not to think or feel that he was walking away from her forever.

**END CHAPTER 7**

_**NOTE:**__ Everyone, please remain calm! It will be OK, I promise. And it will be OK in the next chapter!_


	9. Burgers With Pickles, Especially Pickles

**CHUCK VS. THE JILL RIDE**

**SUMMARY:** Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own "Chuck."

**CHAPTER 8 – Burgers with Pickles – Especially Pickles**

They checked out of the motel and got on the road about an hour later. Sarah said she didn't feel like driving and asked someone else to take the wheel. Chuck volunteered and took the keys. Jill dashed to the other side of the car and quickly got into the front passenger seat to sit by Chuck. Sarah didn't even try to beat the brunette to that spot. Wordlessly and without a glance at the pair, she got into the back seat.

And as Chuck drove the whole morning, she kept silent. Jill, however, felt like talking. Talking a lot. Which meant talking a lot with Chuck. Sarah looked at how animated and upbeat Jill was. Evidently, she can tell that something is wrong between me and Chuck, Sarah lamented. That and how the morning had gone weighed down on her as she stretched out and lay down in the back seat.

She wished for sleep. But it never came. She kept thinking about everything Chuck had said. How he started talking with Jill, how he didn't feel that he could talk to her, and everything else just kept replaying in her mind over and over again.

The rational, logical side of her understood why Chuck did what he did. As angry and as hurt as she was, she did understand. He wanted someone to talk to, he _needed_ _someone_ to talk to.

She understood, at least she kept telling herself that she did. But dammit, why didn't he say something to me? Why didn't he tell me what he was going through? Why did he have to go to Jill?

And were you there for him so that he could say something to you or did you not have any files for him to look at and see if he flashed? Maybe it was because you so coldly and cruelly shot down his invitation to spend some time together at the suburbs house. Or maybe because he saw you kissing Cole Barker, a voice inside her head chastised.

But why did he have to go to Jill? WHY JILL? Was part of the reason as some sort of way to get back at her for the way she had treated and acted toward him those times, knowing how she hated and despised Jill, Sarah wondered. No, it couldn't be that. Chuck wasn't like that. He just needed someone to talk to and who else knew about his spy life. He was right. There was no one else.

Way to go CIA, Sarah berated herself, you just had to be professional, didn't you? You just had to hide your feelings behind that professionalism and in so doing drive Chuck right straight to Jill. Would it have been so unprofessional to _really_ listen to what Chuck was saying about the situation with Morgan that time and to express some sympathy and to talk to him? Would it have been so unprofessional to say that you were sorry and try to comfort him? Couldn't you have set aside that professionalism for 30 seconds of your life to do that? Would that have been so hard to do?

But she had later apologized about that whole thing. She had explained to him that she didn't understand because she had never had a friend like that. She had apologized and he understood. He had told her that yes she did have a friend like that and gave her a loving look that made her heart race. He had understood.

Oh yes, he understood, the voice went at her again, he understood he needed to find someone else to talk with about personal matters and feelings, someone not so callus and robotic.

AARRRGGGGHHHHH! She wanted to scream in rage. She wanted so badly to punch or kick something. NO! She wanted so badly to punch or kick Jill! Why did that brunette bitch always have to sneak into Chuck's life when she and Chuck were going through a rough patch or when something happened to cause them problems? Why did things always happen which enabled Jill to gain the upper hand with Chuck? Sarah almost hit the car seat in fury but managed to stop herself.

She had to fix this. She was determined to fix this because Jill was not going to get Chuck. No way was she going to get Chuck! No way in hell! Damn brunette! she thought, along with other colorful metaphors to describe Jill. She tried to calm down and think. Think about what she could do. And that led her thoughts back to Jill.

In spite of how she much she hated Jill, what she said made sense. She would have to fight and work for Chuck. And in order to do that, she needed to fix this. But how? How could she fix this? She thought back to Chuck saying about how his life in the spy world had never been about what he wanted. So what he does he want? He wants you! And you want him! So put on a bikini and get him! the voice ranted at her. She wondered if that would work. Well, Jill was driven off for a while after I appeared in my undergarments and robe in that hotel room with Chuck, Sarah thought. So it might work.

She peeked open her eyelids while still pretending to be asleep on the back seat. She gazed at Chuck and Jill. They talked so easily and freely right now. They were just like…just like a normal couple, Sarah thought bitterly. And that made her feel all the more miserable.

It's all happening all over again, she lamented. He's going to want normal again and Jill is right there all ready for him. It was still painful to think back to that time, a few months ago, when Chuck broke up with her because he said that she would never be normal. And then Jill came back into his life and he started a new relationship with her. She could easily recall how hurt and upset she constantly felt from watching the two of them together and seeing Chuck so happy with another woman. And seeing him now and knowing that he had been talking to Jill for a while hurt just as much, if not more. Chuck had needed help, had wanted help and had not come to me, she thought bitterly. And whose fault was that? that voice accused, you practically drove him to Jill. And now….

Her thoughts were interrupted when she realized that Chuck had called her name.

"What?" she asked as she opened her eyes and sat up in the seat.

"Are you hungry? We were thinking that it was time that we got something to eat," he said.

"Fine," she replied without enthusiasm.

"We thought that we would get some hamburgers and eat them on the go," he continued.

"Fine."

She could see him looking at her in the rearview mirror. His eyes were filled with concern. For a brief moment that look of concern gave her some hope. But she said nothing, turned away and stared out the window.

About 10 minutes later, they spotted an eatery on the side of the road with a sign of "Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, & Chili." Several cars were parked alongside the place and people were seated at picnic tables situated around the stand and eating. Chuck pulled the car nearby.

"OK," Jill said. "What does everybody want?"

Chuck and Sarah told her what they wanted on their hamburgers and off Jill went. A little while later, she returned carrying a bag and some plastic bottles of water and soda. She got in the front passenger seat and put on her seat belt. Chuck started the car and then drove on.

Jill handed out the drinks and then dug into the bag and pulled out one wrapped bundle. "One cheeseburger," she said as she held it out for Chuck. "Do you want me to drive so that you can eat without interruption or would you like me to feed you?"

"If you'll just unwrap it, I can eat it just fine, thanks," he replied.

"No problem!" Jill said brightly. She removed the wrapping from the burger and then arranged the paper like a plate with the burger in the center. She then leaned over and was about to place it in his lap, but Chuck intervened, held out his hand and took it.

Jill looked a little disappointed but said nothing. She then reached into the bag and pulled out another wrapped hamburger. Sarah leaned forward from the backseat expecting Jill to hand her that bundle. But instead Jill unwrapped that burger and placed it in her lap. She spent a while arranging and rearranging the burger on the paper, taking her time and making no effort to hurry.

Sarah gritted her teeth. The aroma of the hamburgers filled the car and made her stomach rumble with hunger. But she had no intention of letting Jill in on her impatience. And she was most definitely _not_ going to beg for her hamburger.

Finally, Jill got her eating arrangements done and reached into the bag for the third burger. Without a glance backwards, she handed the bundle toward the back seat. Sarah took it quickly, not trusting Jill to try and drop it. She unwrapped the paper and immediately took a bite and chewed. It tasted good but something was missing. It didn't taste just right. She lifted up the top bun. No pickles.

"No pickles!" Sarah said out loud.

"Yes, that's right, no pickles, just like you asked," Jill replied and continued eating.

"I said _extra_ pickles not no pickles," Sarah complained.

"Oh…sorry. I thought you said no pickles. My mistake," Jill said. Then she took a bite of her burger. "Mmmmmmm, these are delicious!" she said as she smiled at Sarah in the rearview mirror.

Sarah started to make an angry retort but stopped. She would _not_ let this woman win. Staring defiantly at Jill's eyes reflected in the mirror, Sarah took a big bite of her burger and chewed. "Yes, they are!" she said as she smacked on her burger loudly.

So intent were the two in their burger standoff that neither had noticed that Chuck had slowed down the car. It was only when he made a U-turn and sped up that they realized that something was up.

"Chuck! What are you doing? Where are you going?" both spurted out.

He didn't reply. He raced the car down the road back to the food stand and pulled alongside it. Without a glance or word to either woman, he got out of the car and ran up to the stand. Jill and Sarah exchanged looks. "What's he doing?" Jill asked.

"I don't know," Sarah replied. She looked back at him, trying to figure out what was going on. A few minutes later, he trotted back toward the car, appearing to have accomplished whatever he had set out to do.

Once he got to the car, he went to the back seat, where Sarah sat, and jerked open the door. Both Sarah and Jill stared at him, puzzled and wondering what was going on.

He said nothing. He simply raised his right hand to Sarah. Both women looked down at that hand.

Pickles.

A little plastic container of pickles. All sliced up and all ready for stacking on a hamburger. On Sarah's hamburger.

Wonderful, green, tasty pickle slices, Sarah thought. The sight caused a big grin to break out on her face. She looked up at Chuck.

"Can't have a burger for my girl without her pickles, now can I?" he said with a smile.

They were just pickle slices. Yet what he had just done made Sarah feel as if he were giving her diamonds. Not to mention his use of the words "my girl" and Jill's angry look that Sarah could see out of the corner of her eye. All of it made her heart and pulse race.

Sarah reached out with her hand and placed it over the container so that the tips of her fingers rested on his hand. She left her hand there and gazed lovingly into his eyes. And for a few seconds, the conversation they had this morning and all of the things that she found out faded away. She felt so touched. My God, the man just gets me some pickles and that makes me quiver all over, she thought. Heat started to rise in her as she wondered for a moment about how she would feel if he did certain other things for her. She took the container from his hand.

"Thank you," she said softly while still staring lovingly into his eyes.

"Any time," he replied with equal love in his eyes.

He hesitantly pulled away, shut her door and returned to the driver's seat. He started the car and then got back on the road. Jill had remained silent through the whole scene and now seemed upset. She had stopped eating her hamburger. Half of it remained, yet, she didn't eat any more and just sat and stared out the window as Chuck drove.

Sarah placed the pickles on her hamburger and then took a bite. She could honestly say that it was the best hamburger she ever had in her life.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tired, exhausted and worn out from spending all day driving, the trio checked into a motel late in the evening to rest. They found one that didn't look too run down or decrepit. Each time they had checked into a motel, they made sure to do it differently to avoid patterns. Sometimes one of them or two of them would go and check in. This time Chuck went into the office alone, got a room and then came back and parked the car near the door to the room. He grabbed what they had been calling "the bathroom bag," the snatchel that contained soap, shampoo, hair brushes, toothpaste, tooth brushes, blow dryer and other items for the bathroom. Sarah grabbed a few weapons while Jill carried a bag of clothes. They skipped unpacking anything else, merely wanting to get into the room and crash. They were that tired.

Chuck unlocked the door, reached in and turned on the light and then stepped aside to allow the two women to enter. Sarah went in first and glanced around the room. It was clean with two full size beds, a chair and table, a TV on top of drawers and the bathroom. She immediately went to the bathroom and checked it. It too looked clean and there was a window for an extra exit if needed.

The shower looked inviting. As usual after spending all day in a car, Sarah felt grimy. She glanced back at Chuck and Jill. They too probably felt the same and wanted to bathe.

"Mind if I take the shower first?" Sarah asked as Jill closed, locked the door and put the chain on it and closed the drapes.

Chuck shook his head, said "No, go ahead" and then plopped down in the chair and leaned back and rested his head against the back of the chair. Jill said nothing but shook her head in reply.

Sarah got the bathroom bag and dropped it onto the sink counter and shut the bathroom door.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

About 30 minutes later, Sarah emerged, feeling a lot better with the grime and sweat from the road washed off. Jill immediately jumped up from the bed she was sitting on and went to the bathroom and shut the door.

Sarah glanced at Chuck. He was still sitting in the chair, only now, his eyes were closed. He appeared to be asleep. She walked over to him, sat on the arm of the chair and leaned a little toward him

"You OK?" she asked.

He sighed. "Yeah…just tired." She put her arm around his shoulders and pulled him against her. He wrapped one arm around her and sighed again. She started stroking the back of his head and as he leaned back into that, their eyes met. He smiled at her but then frowned, lowered the arm he had wrapped around her and pulled away from her.

No, no, NO! She was _not_ going to allow anything to ruin this moment, _their_ moment. She gripped the back of his head and turned him back to her.

"Chuck?"

He let out another sigh. "Sarah…I'm…I'm sorry about talking with Jill. I—"

She pressed a finger to his lips and shushed him. "Chuck…later. Not here and not now."

"But I—"

She shushed him again. "Not here and not now," she repeated. She motioned toward the bathroom door. "We will have this talk when we're alone and will not be interrupted. Later, not here and not now, OK?"

He nodded. "OK. It's a date."

"A date?" Sarah asked with a grin and an arch of her eyebrows.

"A date," he repeated.

She pulled on his shoulders so that he was pressed against her side again. It wasn't being in his arms but right now she would take what she could get because she needed to touch him and feel him touch her. So she not only sat down close to him and leaned against him but also put her arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer again. She wanted and needed this contact after he was so sweet about getting her pickles for her hamburger. She needed to know that he had done that for her. Not because he felt guilty or because he thought he owed her, but for her and just for her. And she needed to know that they were OK and that they would be OK. His arm came around her again and he gently pulled her closer to him and leaned his head against her side. YES! Sarah thought ecstatically. She sat there, enjoying every second of the contact. And all too soon, it ended as they could hear Jill finishing in the bathroom and about to come out.

Jill stepped out about a minute later. "OK, your turn now Chuck," Jill said.

"Thanks," Chuck replied as he walked toward the bathroom.

Sarah eyed him the whole way. Time to work and fight for you. So you're _not_ sleeping on the floor tonight, she vowed silently to herself.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chuck emerged from the bathroom feeling cleaner and more refreshed but still tired. All he wanted to do now was sleep. And it seemed that Sarah and Jill felt the same way judging by the lights having already been turned off and both in their respective beds. But then he noticed that while Jill appeared to be sleeping, Sarah was awake and sitting up on the other bed and watching him. She seemed, he thought, to have been waiting for him.

He smiled at her, strolled over to one side of the bed, grabbed one of the pillows in one hand and was reaching to get a blanket to set up his bed on the floor when Sarah gripped his wrist and stopped him. He looked at her, wondering what she was doing.

"You are _not_ sleeping on the floor," she said softly. Her hand still gripped his wrist, not allowing him to move the pillow any further nor allowing him to move away.

"Look, it's OK, I—"

"You are _not_ sleeping on the floor," she repeated. Her voice was still soft, just above a whisper. But it had a commanding tone in it, emphasizing that what she said was _not_ open to refusal or negotiation.

And before he could reply, she grabbed the pillow he held and took it from him and placed it on the bed next to the other pillow. She then pulled the sheets and blankets down. Then she grabbed both of his wrists with her hands and gently pulled him into the bed. She lay him down, then curled herself up against him and reached down to the covers and pulled them over the two of them.

"Can't have my guy sleeping on the floor now, can I?" she said with a smile.

She rested her head on Chuck's chest and fully enjoyed the feel and scent of him. He felt wonderful. He said nothing but wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She almost breathed a sigh of relief at finally – _finally_ – being in his arms. She couldn't believe how much in the past few days that she wanted to be held by him, to feel him and to be close to him.

Leaning against each other on the chair earlier was nice. But this, _this_ – being wrapped up in his arms and lying against him in bed – was heaven. She surprised herself by clutching him tighter and trying to burrow her head further against him.

I needed this. I really, _really_ needed this, she thought.

She was also relieved – _so_ relieved because they were OK. And they _were_ going to be OK. As much as she hated to admit it, Jill was right about fighting and working for a relationship with Chuck. And she had every intention of doing so. Chuck was _hers_ and was going to stay _hers_.

Sarah stroked his chest. And he stroked her hair. As her hand wandered across the T-shirt that he wore, she wondered what it would be like if the T-shirt wasn't there and she could rub his skin. Her hand strayed further down his chest, to the flap of the shirt. She contemplated sliding her hand under it and onto the bare skin of chest. She wanted to. She had no doubts about that. But should she? She glanced over at the next bed. Jill had her back to them and seemed to be asleep. Why not have a little fun? Sarah pondered. We can't have a lot of fun but we could have a little fun.

But then she moved her hand back up to his chest, away from the shirt flap. No, not now. Definitely not now. Not while she is here, Sarah thought.

She glanced up at Chuck's face. But soon Chuck, soon…very soon, she vowed.

**END CHAPTER 8**

**NOTE:** Anybody catch the brief Star Trek reference? Hint: it's from one of the Star Trek movies.


	10. The Way Things Should Be

**CHUCK VS. THE JILL RIDE**

**SUMMARY:** Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own "Chuck."

**CHAPTER 9 – THE WAY THINGS SHOULD BE**

For the first time since the trip began, Sarah awakened feeling rested and relaxed. During most of the nights on this road trip, as they all had come to refer to it, she hadn't slept much and done a lot of tossing and turning or lying awake. But last night had been different. Last night, she slept and slept well. And she knew why. The reason was wrapped all around her right now. Chuck! Chuck was in bed with her. She tightened her arms around him and tried to snuggle closer. And although he seemed asleep, he, in turn, pulled her nearer.

God I love sleeping with him, Sarah thought. Then she had to suppress a giggle as she realized how that sounded. But it was the truth. She loved sleeping with Chuck. Every time she did, whether for cover or security, she got a great night's sleep. No, she corrected herself, she got the best night's sleep of her life. Plus, there was that warm and wonderful feeling that filled her when lying next to him. She was at a loss as to how to exactly describe that feeling.

But whatever it is, she thought, I'd sure like to have a dose of it every day.

She sighed happily and as she lay her head onto Chuck's chest, she found herself wishing again that he wasn't wearing a T-shirt, that his chest was bare. Which in turn made her wish again that they were alone, as her mind wandered to various things that she'd like to do with him. Her eyes strayed over to the other bed in the motel room where she could make out Jill's form under the covers. The brunette had her back to them, so Sarah couldn't tell if she was awake or asleep.

You lose! Sarah thought territorially. A smile broke out on her face as she clutched Chuck tighter. That's right, you lose! she thought again. You're not getting Chuck. You're not getting _my_ Chuck.

And as soon as she finished that thought, Jill sprang up from her bed and dashed into the bathroom without a glance or look toward Chuck and Sarah's way. The door slammed shut and a few moments later, the shower started. Sarah knew it was not possible but it felt like Jill had heard her thoughts and reacted. She turned her head back toward Chuck and saw that he was awake.

"Hey," she greeted him happily.

"Good morning," he replied.

"How did you sleep?" she asked.

"OK. And you?"

"Great!" she enthused. And she meant it. Reluctantly, she moved out of Chuck's arms and sat up. She reached down and stroked his hair. "How about we go get breakfast?" she asked.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

They got some doughnuts and coffee from a shop down the street. Sarah would have preferred a healthier choice but the small donut shop was the closest breakfast venue. So she went along with Chuck's suggestion of a dozen donuts. And on the way back, Sarah stopped the car in front of the motel's office. "Let's see if we can check the email," she said.

The front desk worker pointed at a computer at a table in the corner of the lobby when they asked about checking email. Sarah sat down, got on the internet and typed in the address for her secret email account. Chuck stood close to her as he watched and waited. His closeness was distracting and she thought about wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him against her. But then she saw the in-box for the email account. There _was_ a message there.

"Chuck!" she gasped.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

OK then, I'll be going," Jill said as she stood up and started toward the door.

"Jill…." Chuck said.

"Chuck, no, don't try to talk me out of it. I'm not going back to prison," she said.

Upon arrival back at the motel room, they had told Jill about the all-clear and return home message from Casey. But Jill didn't seem happy about it.

Sarah spoke up before Chuck could say anything. "Jill, you can't leave," she ordered.

Jill turned to Sarah with a disgusted look on her face. "Going to arrest me Agent Walker? Going to follow regulations? I figured as much," she complained. She shook her head and then turned to Chuck. "You see what your wonderful Agent Sarah Walker is really like Chuck? Even after all I've done – saving her life, helping to rescue you, saving her life again and helping to protect you and keep you safe, and what reward do I get? Arrested and brought in by her! Still think she's so great and wonderful? You should—"

"SHUT UP JILL!" Sarah shouted. When the tall brunette got silent, Sarah explained. "I'm not going to arrest you. You're right. You don't deserve that after all the help you given me and Chuck. But you don't deserve a life on the run and in hiding either. I want you to come back with us and let's work out a deal to get you out of prison or reduce your sentence. I think the least I can get is a reduction of your sentence. And maybe if we're lucky, we can get you out of prison entirely. So don't run off or go into hiding. Come back with Chuck and me and let us help you."

Jill looked shocked. Chuck looked slightly surprised but smiled at Sarah.

"You'd do that?" Jill asked quietly. "Why?"

"You helped me save and protect Chuck. And I owe you for that," Sarah replied as she looked at Chuck. And she _was_ grateful for that. She absolutely, positively did _not_ want to lose him nor even consider the possibility of a life without the man. If it hadn't been for Jill, that might have happened. She still hated the brunette and would never forgive her for the things that she did, especially the things that she did to Chuck. But Jill had helped in rescuing him and keeping him safe. And while Sarah would never admit it to Jill, she was also grateful to the brunette for helping her with her relationship with Chuck. Jill had wakened her up on a few things about the man.

Sarah looked at Jill, waiting for an answer. But she didn't reply. Instead, she turned to Chuck. "Could I talk to you alone for a moment?" she asked him.

Chuck looked puzzled. He started to walk toward Jill but then stopped. He turned to Sarah and looked inquiringly. Sarah smiled at him and nodded. It's OK, she communicated silently to him, go ahead and talk to Jill. I trust you.

Chuck smiled back and then walked toward Jill. The pair left the motel room. Sarah remained behind but cast a wary eye toward the closed door. Yes, I trust you Chuck, but I don't trust her. Please don't fall under her spell again. Please come back to me, she thought.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Once they were alone, Jill turned to Chuck. "What do you think Chuck? Is her offer on the level? Do you think she will really help me get out of prison if I go back?"

Immediately and without hesitation, he answered positively. "And I'll do what I can to help too," he added.

Jill smiled. "Thank you Chuck. But I have no doubts about your help. It's Agent Walker that I'm concerned about. You're sure about this? You're sure that she means what she says about helping me?"

He looked straight into her eyes. "Yes I'm sure." And then he looked a little sad. "Also remember what we've been through. We've been on the run Jill and cut off from our families and our friends. What kind of life was that? Did you really like it? If you don't come back, that's what you'll have – on the run, constantly having to watch out for everyone and everything, always wondering if you can trust this person or that person. Never truly able to relax and let your guard down. I realize that it would probably be better than being in prison. But is that really the type of life you want Jill?" he said.

She shook her head. "You're right. I need to go back. And if Agent Walker is really on the level, then maybe I can get my sentence reduced or, even better, get a release," she said.

"Good!" he replied. "Now let's get going and head for home," He turned to walk back to the motel room but Jill grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Wait Chuck, there's something else I want to talk about with you," she said.

He looked at her inquisitively. Jill started to speak and then stopped. She sighed and then turned away for a moment. He continued to look at her, wondering what was going on. "Jill? What is it?" he asked.

"Chuck…I…I want to…I want to…." She stopped speaking and sighed again. Then she shook her head in frustration. "Why is this so hard?" she complained.

"Jill? What's going on?" he asked.

She reached out with one hand and placed it on his cheek. "Chuck…breaking up with you back at college and then lying to you and using you that time we got back together were the biggest mistakes of my life. Not a day goes by where I wish I could do those times over. I regret losing you both of those times so much. I just wish that I could take back what happened between us. I just…."

She started to cry and pulled her hand away from Chuck's cheek to wipe up the tears. "Dammit!" she moaned. "I didn't think that this would be so hard."

Chuck looked at her inquisitively. "Jill? What are you saying?"

Jill lunged forward and hugged Chuck and held on to him. "Chuck, I want you back! I want us to try again!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Worried, frustrated and concerned, Sarah watched through the window as she saw Jill talk to Chuck. She couldn't hear anything. But she knew what was going on. Jill was going to ask Chuck to get back together with her. She knew that.

And when Sarah saw the two embrace, her heart sank. She resisted the urge to rush out there. Please, Chuck, please, she thought desperately.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute! Hold on!" Chuck said as he pulled back from Jill's embrace. He looked at her face for a moment and then reached up and brushed away some of the tears. Jill leaned her face into his touch. "Jill…I…." he said.

Jill closed her eyes and bowed her head. Then she turned her head back up, opened her eyes and smiled. But it was a sad, defeated smile. "The answer is no, isn't it?" she asked in a whisper. The answer was actually absolutely no, Chuck thought. But he chose to stay silent and just nodded to confirm her statement.

Jill closed her eyes, bowed her head and leaned down a bit. Then she moved forward and hugged him. "I kind of figured that'd be your answer. I was hopeful but I kind of figured," she muttered. Then she looked up at him. "Chuck, I'm so sorry for what I did to you back in college and then later. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

She kept repeating that she was sorry. Chuck put his arms around her, held her as he quietly said that he knew.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chuck and Jill were still holding each other. Then they broke apart and walked back toward the room. Sarah kept an eye on their faces, looking for some clue, some sign of what had just transpired between them. Jill looked as if she had been crying. But were those tears of sadness or joy? As they got closer and closer, Sarah's heart pounded and she had to keep reminding herself to breathe in and out. Then she couldn't stand it any more. Enough! She was not going to lose without a fight! She jerked open the door just as they arrived.

"OK, we're done. Let's get our gear and get going," Chuck said as he started to enter the motel room.

Sarah said nothing in reply and grabbed his arm and pulled him away…away from the room, away from where they all stood, and away from Jill. She pulled him about 20 yards away and then jerked him around to face her.

"Chuck! What happened? What did she say? What happened?" she demanded with her voice getting louder with each question.

"Nothing happened. It was nothing—"

"What do you mean nothing happened? What's going on?" Sarah found her voice getting out of control as her emotions fired up. She grabbed his hand tightly like a lifeline, feeling if she could just hold onto him that she wouldn't lose him. And before he could answer, she fired more questions at him. "Are you getting back with Jill? Are you getting back together with her? Are you?

Chuck reached up and grasped each her arms firmly. "No, NO! I am not getting back together with Jill!" he answered.

He stopped and looked at her. Sarah still looked panicky. It was a surprise and shock to him. He wasn't used to Sarah looking like that. Especially CIA Agent Sarah Walker. Did she even hear his answer? he wondered. He gripped her arms a little more tightly and moved toward a little closer.

Sarah still stared blankly at him. Chuck looked back concerned. "Sarah? I am not getting back together with Jill. OK?"

She still didn't answer. "Sarah?" he inquired. He stared at her, still wondering if she heard him.

Suddenly, Sarah lunged forward, wrapped her arms around Chuck's neck and kissed him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jill watched sadly at Chuck and Sarah kissing. "I hope you realize how lucky you are Agent Walker. And I hope you realize what you have there," she whispered.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The drive back to the Orange Orange took almost all day and around 5:30 p.m., they pulled into the parking lot near the yogurt establishment. And much to Chuck and Sarah's surprise, a lot of activity was taking place at the shop. A big sign, "Closed for Remodeling" was in the window and inside about five or six workers were building or repairing. At least, that's what it would like to someone walking by.

But just one glance and Sarah could tell that all of the workers were agents. Agents waiting for their arrival. As soon she parked, the activity inside the place ceased and all eyes turned to the trio getting out of the car. By the time Sarah, Chuck and Jill had walked up to the Orange Orange's doors, several of the workers were outside and waiting. And when they got inside, they were immediately escorted through the freezer and down to the Castle.

And there awaited General Diane Beckman. She didn't look happy. But did she ever look happy, Sarah wondered.

"Agent Walker, Mr. Bartowski," she greeted. She turned to Jill. "And you are the infamous Jill Roberts who seems to keep popping back into Mr. Bartwoski's life." She eyed the brunette impassively and then turned to one of the agents. "Please escort Miss Roberts to lockup," she ordered.

"General, we need to talk to you about her," Chuck said quickly.

Beckman said nothing. She just looked at Chuck with a stern eye.

"Ma'am, Chuck is right. We do need to talk to you about Jill," Sarah quickly interjected.

"Let's all step into the conference room," the general suggested.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Very well, I will do what I can in seeing that Jill Roberts gets at least a reduction in her sentence for all of the help she has provided," the general concluded after hearing what Chuck and Sarah had to say about their road trip. The general then motioned for some agents to escort Jill out of the conference room.

Jill smiled at Chuck as she was led out of the room. "Thank you," she said softly to him. Then she turned to Sarah. "Thank you," she said to the CIA agent.

Once Jill was gone, Beckman turned to Sarah. "Agent Walker, we need to talk, we need to talk alone," she said. And with that, the other agents in the room immediately left.

Chuck, however, remained seated at the table and looked at Sarah, clearly worried. Sarah looked back at him and tried to communicate silently to him that it would be OK. But he still looked concerned. She nodded at him and then motioned for him to leave, which he finally did.

Then the general stood up, shut the door, crossed her arms and then turned to Sarah.

"Agent Walker, you defied everyone and everything after you rescued Mr. Bartowski and took him off grid," she said.

"Yes ma'am I did. But it was to protect him and keep him safe," Sarah responded.

"I agree wholeheartedly Agent Walker. But I want to know something."

"Ma'am?"

"Was this a handler performing these actions or a lover?" the general asked.

"Ma'am, Chuck and I are not lovers," Sarah replied firmly.

"Not _yet_," the general pointed out.

Sarah said nothing and tried to keep her face unemotional.

"Agent Walker, I am not blind nor am I stupid. I have seen how the Intersect, Mr. Bartowski, looks at you and I have seen how you look at him. I have known for some time how you two feel about each other. It's obvious. A blind person could see it. However, I never acted on those suspicions because I saw no evidence that it affected any missions or assignments. Team Bartowski has always performed well, _very_ well. So until I could see some problem with the team due to those feelings between you and Mr. Bartowski, I saw no reason to act."

"I repeat ma'am, Chuck and I are not lovers," Sarah reiterated.

"Maybe not physically, Agent Walker. But while you have not acted on those feelings, your actions in taking the Intersect off grid speak quite plainly for themselves. You _are_ in love with Mr. Bartowski," Beckman said.

Sarah started to say something. She wasn't sure what. But before she could get a word out, the general pointed a finger at her, immediately stopping her.

"Don't insult me Agent Walker with a denial. As I said, these actions of yours plainly speak for themselves. This all confirms what I have suspected for some time about your feelings for the Intersect. I will repeat, you _are_ in love with Mr. Bartowski." The general paused to let her words sink in. She gazed intently at Sarah who still tried not to show any emotion. Then Beckman continued.

"Generally a situation like this would not be tolerated or allowed. Generally, I would immediately have you or any other agent who fell in love with their asset immediately reassigned and ordered _never_ to have any contact with the asset again."

It took all of Sarah's will power and strength to not react to what the general just said. A pit formed in her stomach as the thought of being separated from Chuck hit her. She knew as much and she expected as much. But it still hit her like a bullet. She fought hard to control her emotions thinking that there had to be some way that she and Chuck could be together. So intent was her concentration that she nearly didn't hear what the general said next.

"Generally, that is what I would do. But in this case, I choose not to do that. You are to remain as Mr. Bartowski's handler."

What did she say? Sarah thought. She looked at the general skeptically. "Excuse me ma'am?"

I said that you are to remain as Mr. Bartowski's handler. And if you and Mr. Bartowski choose to…." Beckman paused and then looked away, deciding not to look directly at Sarah for what she had to say next. "If, if the two of you decide to pursue a relationship with each other, I…I will not do anything about it."

Sarah's eyes got wide. She couldn't believe it. General Beckman was actually approving of a relationship? The general, now having turned back and seeing Sarah's look, held up a finger to emphasize her next point. "If…IF Team Bartowski continues to do the fine and excellent job that they have done. If team results suffer because of this relationship, that's it! Understood?"

Sarah couldn't speak. She still couldn't believe it. After so long of keeping Chuck at arm's length, of hiding and holding back her feelings, of battling and struggling with the thing under the undercover thing as Chuck put it, she now actually had the OK to have what she had wanted for so long. She quickly nodded before Beckman changed her mind.

"Good," the general said. She turned to leave but after two steps turned back. "Oh…and one other thing Sarah," Beckman said. Sarah immediately gave her full attention to the general. As far as she could remember, that was the first time the general had ever called her by her first name. "Off the record, _it's about damn time!_" Beckman proclaimed with a trace of a smile on her face. Then she started again toward the door.

"General Beckman," Sarah called to stop her. The general faced her again. "Yes Agent Walker?"

"Why are you doing this? Why are you bending the rules for us?"

Beckman sighed and walked closer to Sarah. "The…how should I put it? The, the _situation_ that occurred, that brought about the attempted kidnapping of Mr. Bartowski was, plain and simple, an internal affair that escalated into a disaster. The new director of the CIA questioned how we had treated the Intersect project and how we allowed the Intersect out into the field. He had far different ideas on how the Intersect project should go and how it should be handled and kept secure and safe. So he, without my knowledge or OK, arranged for this, this snatching of Mr. Bartowski in order to get the project under his control. Basically, a case of two agencies not playing nice with each other.

"The CIA and NSA butting heads could have spelled doom or who knows what for the Intersect. I don't know for sure what would have happened if this director's plan had been successful. However, that didn't happen. The Intersect was protected and kept safe from everyone while I sorted out this whole mess and got things back under control. Mr. Bartowski was safe thanks to your actions Agent Walker. And you committed those actions because of your feelings for him. Your feelings saved the Intersect and I dare say, saved us all. So I am not going to try to stop or prevent those feelings which saved us all. In this case, I think such feelings are a strength, not a liability. As long as I said before, Team Bartowski continues to perform and achieve the results that they have in the past."

The general turned to leave but Sarah stopped her again. "General Beckman, there is something else that needs to be discussed.

The general looked at Sarah. "I'm listening," she said.

"Chuck has sacrificed and given so much to this project and our country. And he has done so much. And for what? Casey and I get recognition and commendations for the work but what does Chuck get? It was recently pointed out to me that we use Chuck and benefit from him a lot. But what does he get for it? I didn't like that, I didn't like that at all. So I think that something should be done about that," Sarah said.

The general arched her eyebrows. "I'm still listening. What would you recommend?"

"I realize that the Intersect is a secret and rightfully so. But I think that Chuck could be given commendations in secret so that when the day comes when this project is over and can be declassified, he will be recognized in some way for all the heroic and great work he has done and how many lives he saved. And I also think that he should at least be paid. The current situation is just not fair to him. Quite frankly, the way it is now, we are just using Chuck for our own means and ends. And I think that should be corrected. It's the right thing to do. And yes, we did help get him his degree from Stanford. But that was wrongfully taken away from him and he deserves more, a lot more," Sarah said.

Much to Sarah's surprise, the general immediately agreed. "I think what you said is correct Agent Walker. And I think your proposals are fine ideas. I'll see that they are carried out."

Then she did leave.

Sarah stood in the room, alone for a moment, trying hard not to jump and shriek in excitement and celebration. But she did allow a huge smile to break out on her face. She and Chuck could be together – _really_ be together. She composed herself as she headed for the door. We mustn't flaunt this, she thought. But she couldn't wait to tell Chuck. And how to spring such news on him might be fun; it might be a _lot_ of fun, she decided.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Ellie! I told you! We couldn't get any cellular phone signals where we were at!" Chuck said as he paced back and forth in front of the bed where Sarah lay, pretending to read. She smiled. They had arrived at her hotel room about an hour ago. Sarah had already planned the evening's activities, which started with showers. She showered first and then got on the bed and had intended to relax and plan her surprise while Chuck took his shower. But he first had to deal with his sister and try to get explanations in over her ranting and raving about her brother being missing. Ellie Bartowski was definitely not happy.

Sarah looked at Chuck. He now looked horrified.

"WHAT?" he wailed. "Why would you think that?"

Sarah studied him. He had actually paled at what Ellie said. Sarah leaned forward a little to try to hear exactly what was said. And Chuck, noticing Sarah's actions, moved further away from the bed and turned away and talked in a quieter tone.

"Ellie. No! No! No! Sarah isn't! She isn't! Because she isn't!" he insisted.

Sarah wondered what exactly she wasn't. What were they arguing about?

"What do you mean how do I know? Don't you think I would know that? Well ours is, believe me! What? No Ellie! We didn't! No! I promise you! That's not why we were gone! We – What? What do you mean why not? What are you thinking?"

What did we not do? Sarah wondered.

Chuck sighed in frustration, ran a hand through his hair and then rubbed his eyes.

"Ellie! Sarah and I…we're not…we can't…well, we just can't, that's why…yes, of course I do…Ellie…we can't…I thought you were upset with me over the possibility that we did. Now you're upset with me that we didn't?"

He paused to let his sister speak.

"Ellie…it's…complicated," Chuck then said.

That raised Ellie's volume level a lot and produced a lot of yelling from her. Sarah, though halfway across the room from the phone, could easily hear Ellie's anger.

Chuck finally managed to get in a word. "Ellie…I have to go…I'm tired and I want to go to sleep, OK? I'm sorry you were worried but there really wasn't a way for me to get in touch with you. I'm sorry about that…now I need to go, OK? I know and I love you too. Bye!"

He disconnected the call, walked over to the bed, dropped the phone on it and sighed. He had expected to be at home tonight and explain things in person to Ellie. It probably would have gone better than having to do that on the phone. But Sarah had told him that things still weren't completely safe for him yet and that he had to be with her for the next two or three days. And she had insisted that they were going to her hotel and that was not open for discussion. Orders! Sarah commanded when he asked why he couldn't just go back to his apartment.

He tried to protest but Sarah clamped his mouth shut, then grabbed him by the hand and escorted him immediately to her Porsche. Upon which, she drove to her hotel. And drove really, _really_, fast to the hotel, Chuck noticed. And the second after they entered her room, she locked the door, announced that she was taking a shower and he would be taking one after her. So he had called Ellie while Sarah was in the shower. And he had been stuck on the phone with Ellie since then. He sighed again.

Sarah looked at him in amusement. "Ellie give you a hard time?" she teased.

"You have NO idea," he responded with a roll of his eyes. "Having a sister like that is a—"

"Wonderful and nice thing," Sarah interjected.

Chuck looked at her skeptically.

"Chuck, probably the majority of people on this planet would love to have a brother-sister relationship like you and Ellie," she said.

"Really?" he said sarcastically.

"You and Ellie are so close and you two always look out for each other. It's wonderful," she said.

Chuck stared intently at her for a moment as if trying to read her mind. Sarah knew instantly that he was wondering about her and her past and what things in her life occurred to cause such thoughts and feelings. She never talked like that with him, talked about personal things or opened up like that. She never talked like that with anyone. That's going to change. It's going to change soon, she resolved.

"And by the way," Sarah interjected. "What am I not? And what didn't we do? And why not?"

"What?" Chuck asked.

"You kept saying over and over again that 'Sarah isn't.' and then you said 'We didn't.' And then Ellie was asking why not? What was that all about?"

Chuck rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Never mind, it was just…never mind...it's not even worth mentioning."

Sarah cast a stern eye at Chuck, her suspicions aroused. "Chuck!"

"It's not even worth mentioning," he repeated.

"Chuck!" she warned as she started to rise up in the bed.

He looked at her, saw her determined expression and sighed. "You're not going to stop until I tell you, aren't you?"

Sarah nodded.

"You're going to keep after me until I tell you?"

She nodded again.

"And you're not going to let it go until I tell you, right?"

She nodded a third time.

"Well…you're not going to like it, OK? And just remember that I didn't say this, OK? That it was Ellie, OK? And please, please don't—"

"Chuck!" she commanded.

"Ellie thought that one reason we disappeared was that you were pregnant. I kept telling her no, no, no and she finally believed me. And then she thought that we disappeared to elope. And I kept telling her no, no, no on that and when she finally believed me, she wanted to know why didn't we run away and elope. And then—"

Sarah got up on her knees, leaned over to Chuck, grasped his shoulders and kissed him into silence. When she stopped, he looked at her curiously. "I thought you'd be mad," he said.

Sarah smiled. "Why would I be mad?"

"Well, this was—"

Before he could say anything more, her iPhone rang. She looked at the drawer by the bed and saw Ellie's photo on the display. "Your sister is now calling me," Sarah announced to Chuck. She grabbed the phone and clicked "Accept."

"Hey Ellie!" she said brightly as she smiled at Chuck, who immediately rolled his eyes. And then he lowered his head into his hands and groaned as he heard his sister launch into Sarah.

"Ellie, we would have called but we couldn't because the cell phone signals were weak where we were at," Sarah said as she grinned at Chuck.

Chuck rolled his eyes, shook his head and dashed off to the bathroom to shower.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah glanced at the bathroom door as she heard the blow dryer stop. A few seconds passed and then she could hear Chuck brushing his teeth. She adjusted her hair, lay down on the bed and then pulled the covers up to her chin. She glanced again at the door and waited.

About a minute later, the door opened and Chuck casually walked out in a T-shirt and his boxers. He looked over at her on the one side of the bed. His eyes looked at the space on the other side and then looked at her, wondering if that space was left for him…left for him to join her in the bed.

Sarah patted that space. "Come to bed," she said with a smile.

"Uh…OK," he said. And he smiled slightly as he walked over to that side of the bed. He was just about to reach out for the covers and get in when Sarah spoke again.

"Chuck?" she asked as she turned on her side to face him.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering if you could do a big favor for me," Sarah asked with a bright smile.

He looked curiously at her and nodded.

"It has been a long time since I've received a Chuck Bartowski patented back and shoulder massage. Too long. And I'd really like one right now," she said.

"Too long?" he asked. "I just gave you one the other night."

"You don't like giving me a massage? You don't like touching me?" she said with a slight pout on her face.

"No, no, NO! I don't mind it. I don't mind it all. In fact, I love it. I love touching you! I mean I…." He suddenly stopped talking and then shook his head. "Why am I standing here talking when I could be giving the most beautiful woman in the world a massage?" He shook his head again as he got up on the bed and then crouched on his knees and moved toward Sarah.

Sarah flung the sheet off of her as she rolled over onto her stomach. "Start at my shoulders please," she said and lowered her head on its side onto the pillow so that she could still look at Chuck.

Chuck gasped and froze as he stared at Sarah.

Sarah giggled to herself as she could see Chuck staring at her with his mouth wide open and his eyes bugged out in surprise. His lips moved several times in an effort to speak but no words came out. It wasn't until the fourth attempt that he finally managed to get some words out and those, he could only stammer.

"Sa, Sarah?"

She lifted up her head, deliberately putting a casual and relaxed expression on her face.

"Yes Chuck?" she asked.

He just gaped

Sarah smiled, turned up from her stomach, lay onto her side to face him and gave him a full view of the front of her nude body. If possible, his eyes bugged out even more.

"Is there a problem Chuck?" she said sweetly.

He just stared, still open mouthed and eyes bulging. He now seemed incapable of speaking.

"Full body massage! Start at my shoulders!" Sarah commanded. "NOW Chuck!" Then she rolled back onto her stomach and lay her head back down on the pillow.

She didn't have long to wait. Within seconds – if even that long – Chuck was over by her side and then she felt his hands on her shoulders. She sighed as his hands started to work their magic. She lifted up her head and gazed at him.

"And take off your clothes! You won't be needing those!" she commanded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Later…_much_ later, they lay in bed in each other's arms. Sarah had her head on Chuck's chest, his naked chest, she thought happily. She sighed as his hand stroked her hair and she wondered if anything could be better than this. She felt truly happy, content and wonderful. Never, _never_ in her life had things felt more wonderful than this. Why did I take so long? I should have gone after him months, years ago! And now that they were together, they were staying together, she thought. She meant what she said to Jill. If she got the chance, she would never give up Chuck for anything!

Chuck softly calling out her name interrupted her thoughts. She turned her head slightly toward him but kept it on his chest.

"Hmmmmmm?"

"Did you want me to finish?" he asked.

"Finish?" she asked. She gazed at him and sighed. "You finished me off magnificently, many times as a matter of fact," she purred.

He chuckled. "The massage, the massage. I didn't finish the massage that you wanted. I never finished that because we…well, we were…." He stopped speaking but his eyes and eyebrows did that Bartowski eye dance that she loved so much.

Sarah grinned and lifted herself up and sat on top of him. Yes, he had not gotten very far with the massage. That had been interrupted.

"Chuck! We're just getting started!" she said and her lips crashed onto his.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarah could hear her iPhone on the dresser near the bed ringing. Casey, she thought, recognizing the ringtone she had programmed for the NSA agent. Quickly, she got out of bed, snatched the phone, clicked "Accept."

"Hold on!" she barked at Casey. She lowered the phone to her side and looked at Chuck. She stroked his hair and studied him. He was still asleep. Good. The call had not awakened him. She wasn't sure about how much sleep he had gotten on the floor during the road trip. And she certainly knew that he hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Nor did she for that matter. She smiled at that as she thought about how they had made up for lost time all night and most of the morning. Well, _started_ to make up for it, she amended.

She wandered into the bathroom so that she could talk without waking Chuck up. She wanted him to rest. He needed it.

"What is it Casey?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Don't what-is-it me Walker. When are you two coming into work?" the NSA agent demanded.

"We're not. We're taking time off."

"Fulcrum and terrorists don't take days off Walker. Now you two get your butts in here pronto!"

"Do we have a mission?" Sarah questioned.

"That's not the point. You two need—"

"Do we have a mission?" Sarah persisted.

Casey didn't answer.

"Casey, do we have a mission? Yes or no?"

"No."

"All right then, we're taking time off."

"Well Bartowski has a job at the BuyMore, remember?"

"The BuyMore can do without him," Sarah replied.

"That's what you think," Casey muttered.

"Look Casey, these past days have been rough on both Chuck and me. So we're taking time off. We've earned it and we need it."

"I'll bet you need it."

"Goodbye Casey. See you in a few," Sarah said and disconnected the call.

She and Chuck were definitely taking time off. She had plans for the two of them. But right now they needed to rest. She grinned and sighed when thinking about how busy they had been last night and most of the morning. And they had even taken some time to talk. They had both talked. And much to Sarah's delight, they had talked like a real and normal couple. And much to her surprise, she had found out that Chuck had absolutely no intention of getting back together with Jill. No way in hell, that bridge had been burned, fried, nuked, was how Chuck had put it. And all of those conversations that he and Jill had during the road trip? TV, movies, comic books, games, and that was it, Chuck explained.

A lot of fears had been for nothing, Sarah realized. And she had learned that by _talking_ with him. Well, we're going to be talking a lot from here on, she vowed. She intended to take full advantage of the general giving the OK on a relationship with Chuck. I think he's going to need round-the-clock protection. He should move in with me here. Better yet, we should find our own place together, she thought.

She wandered out of the bathroom and discovered that Chuck was awake. Dammit Casey, you woke him up, she thought with annoyance.

"Hey!" he greeted.

"Hey," she replied as she got back into the bed next to him. They immediately snuggled up together. I could get used to this, Sarah thought happily, I could _really_ get used to this. She looked at him and smiled.

He smiled back.

"Sarah?"

"Yes Chuck?"

"In all of our talking and everything else that we did last night and this morning, I forgot…well, I didn't forget, it's just that I was kind of distracted…wait, that's not right…it's…well, there is something very important that I want to say."

Sarah forced back a slight twinge of worry that started to form and looked inquiringly at him. She wondered if this was going to be something about Jill or some other bad thing. But her fears were pointless.

"I love you Sarah Walker," he said with a smile.

"I love you Chuck Bartowski," she said, smiling back at him.

Earlier this morning, she thought that things had felt wonderful. Now everything felt perfect. So perfect!

**END CHAPTER 9**

_NOTE: OK, next we have a nice, fluffy epilogue and that will be it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will enjoy the epilogue to come. Please review! I love reading your comments._


	11. Epilogue  Jill Sightings

**CHUCK VS. THE JILL RIDE**

**SUMMARY:** Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own "Chuck."

**EPILOGUE – JILL SIGHTINGS**

**FIRST JILL SIGHTING**

**ONE YEAR AFTER THE ROAD TRIP:**

"Casey! Stop that! That's disgusting!"

"Cram it Walker! This is a buffalo wing establishment and licking the sauce off of your fingers is allowed!"

Sarah gave Casey a deathly stare from across the table in their booth. Casey stared back, not intimidated at all.

Chuck, sensing a confrontation brewing, interceded. "Hey guys, cool it! We're in a restaurant – a _very_ busy and crowded restaurant. And besides…."

He turned toward Sarah, seated next to him.

"Sweetie, Casey is right. Slurping the buffalo sauce off of your fingers is a tradition when eating buffalo wings. It's practically a national pastime."

Sarah frowned while Casey looked triumphant. But then Chuck turned to Casey.

"But Casey, that tradition does not include slurping _so loudly_. Sarah is right, you are overdoing it and being gross. So have a little courtesy and show some manners and take it down a notch. Be an officer _and_ a gentleman."

Casey's expression darkened. "You always take her side. Why am I not surprised," he said.

"Casey, it is possible to slurp buffalo wing sauce without noise and without being rude or crude. Allow me to demonstrate," Chuck proclaimed.

He reached over and grasped one of Sarah's hands in his. Both Sarah and Casey looked shocked as Chuck pulled Sarah's hand up close to his face and inserted one of her sauce stained fingers in his mouth. He gently and silently sucked the sauce and then slowly slid that finger out of his mouth.

"See?" he said holding up Sarah's finger for Casey to see. "All the sauce gone and did I make any noise? No!"

Casey looked angrily at Chuck. "Bartowski! You do that again in front of me and I will kill you!"

Chuck smirked and turned to Sarah hoping for help in finding a suitable reply but then had to do a double take at Sarah's expression. Her mouth was open in an "O" and her eyes blazed with heat.

"Uhhhh…Sarah?" Chuck said as he started to loosen her hand.

But Sarah's hand grasped his firmly and her other hand shot out and grabbed the back of his neck and jerked him to her for a kiss. It was a while before she stopped but she still held his face close to hers, staring deeply into his eyes and managing, just barely, to resist the urge to sweep the table clear of the dishes and food, get up on the table and pull him up there on top of her. And if that wasn't possible, because they were in public after all, there was always the back seat of their car parked outside, she thought.

"What have I said about you two and lady feelings in front of me?" Casey snarled.

"Stuff it Casey! We've earned this!" Sarah retorted and kissed Chuck again.

Chuck smiled at his two teammates. Sarah was right. They had earned this. Team Bartowski had been really making a difference in the past year. The team had destroyed many Fulcrum cells, foiled a lot of plans and had even captured many key Fulcrum leaders. Beckman was pleased and showing it. The war against Fulcrum was going well, very well.

Plus, he and Sarah had been doing great. Chuck had been so surprised with Sarah after that road trip. He didn't know what had caused the change in her but since then she had been open and eager for a relationship with him. And at times, she had even been aggressive. But he loved it. He loved every minute with her.

Sarah's stroking hand on the back of his head brought him out of his thoughts. He leaned in for another kiss.

"What did I tell you two about the lady feelings in my presence?" Casey complained again.

"Stuff it Casey!" Sarah repeated and kissed Chuck again.

The two of them sat there gazing lovingly into each other's eyes and grinning.

"Sarah?"

"Yes Chuck?"

"Don't think I don't know that you're trying to distract me while you steal my French fries."

Sarah gave him a pouty look.

"I just don't understand…if you want French fries, why don't you just order some for yourself? Why do you always have to steal mine?" he complained.

"Because this is more fun," Sarah replied and popped a fry into her mouth. And before he could protest, she popped one in his mouth. And then she kissed him again.

"Oh for crying out loud!"

"Stuff it Casey!"

Chuck grinned and stood up. "I'm getting a refill. Anyone else need anything?"

Sarah handed him her glass. "More Diet Coke please."

"Casey?"

"I'm good Bartowski," he said and started munching on another buffalo wing.

Chuck walked across the room to the drink dispenser and filled up his glass with tea. He set that down on the counter and was just about to put Sarah's glass up to the dispenser when he heard someone squeal out his name and then felt a body slam against him and arms wrap around him.

He barely avoided dropping Sarah's glass as he tried to figure out who was upon him. The arms grasped him so tightly and the body pressed so close to him that he couldn't recognize the person who hugged him. All he could see for sure was a mass of dark hair.

The arms finally relaxed and the person pulled back a little to look at him. "Chuck!" she said again.

"Jill!" he said. He grinned at the brunette as she came in for another hug. This time he returned her embrace. They pulled back after a few seconds and looked at each other.

Chuck studied her, worried that he might see some signs of physical or emotional wear or distress from her time in prison. But he couldn't see anything like that at all. She looked good and she looked happy.

"It's good to see you Chuck!" Jill said with a big smile. "You're looking good!"

"Well it's good to see you too. And you're looking good too." He paused for a moment, not sure if he should bring up prison or not. But he wondered. "So…are you out of…well, are you…umm…."

"Out of prison? You can go ahead and say it Chuck."

So…are you?"

"Yes, I got out about three weeks ago. Thanks to you and General Beckman and for some time off for good behavior. I'm still very grateful to you for your help, you know?"

"And Sarah, don't forget Sarah," Chuck pointed out.

Jill's smile lessened. "Oh yes…Agent Walker, who could forget her. And speaking of…."

Chuck felt an arm loop through his and a body press up against his left side. He turned and saw Sarah standing beside him with a forced smile on her face as she looked at Jill. "Hello Jill!" Sarah said in a flat tone.

"Agent Walker," Jill greeted.

The two women eyed each other, not saying anything further. Jill gazed at Sarah's arm looped through Chuck's and how close the CIA agent pressed against him. Then, as the brunette turned from Sarah and looked at Chuck, Chuck could feel Sarah's arm tightening through his and her body pressing even more against his side.

"So Jill, what is going on, what have you been doing now that you're out of, out of…."

"Prison, she's out of prison, Chuck," Sarah finished.

If Jill was annoyed by that, she didn't show it. She didn't even look at Sarah as she spoke. "I'm working, I'm working now at a pharmaceutical company. I just started there last week. It's what I went to college for and you could say that after everything that happened, I'm now have my life back." She smiled brightly at Chuck. "And I owe it all to you Chuck."

"And Sarah!" Chuck interjected.

Jill then glanced at Sarah but didn't say anything. Once again, the two women studied each other. Chuck wasn't sure what was going on but he could feel Sarah clutching him tighter. Jill looked at Sarah and then Chuck.

"So, I guess you two are together now?" Jill asked quietly.

"Yes, yes we are," Chuck enthused as he turned his head to smile at Sarah, who smiled back.

Jill looked surprised. "Well…that's, that's…wonderful…wonderful. I'm happy for you Chuck," she said.

"Thank you!"

"Chuck, I—"

A voice calling Jill's name from the other side of the restaurant interrupted. Jill, Chuck and Sarah turned to the source – one woman among a group of five men and women at a table. The woman waved and called out, "Come on, we have to get back before we're late."

"Coming!" Jill said. She turned back to Chuck and then dug into her purse and pulled out a card.

"Chuck, it's great to see you! Here," she said as she handed him the card. "Give me a call and we can catch up." Then she quickly leaned forward and kissed him and walked away.

And as he watched her walk away and then depart with her group, Sarah's grip on his arm tightened even more. He turned and looked at her. Her expression was unemotional.

"Where's my Diet Coke?" she asked.

Chuck glanced down at his hands, one which held the card Jill gave him and the other which held Sarah's glass, which he still needed to fill with Diet Coke.

Which he did immediately. And which he had to do with Sarah holding onto his arm the whole time – while he filled the glass with Diet Coke from the drink dispenser, while he walked back to the table with his iced tea and her Diet Coke and while he sat back down at the table.

Casey, eating the last of his buffalo wings, eyed Sarah's arm still attached to Chuck's as the couple sat down at the table, and snorted.

"Bartowski, what the hell is it with you and brunettes?" he asked as he chewed.

"What are you talking about Casey?" Chuck asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Casey just shook his head in disbelief and stopped chewing. "Want me to spell it out for you? First—"

"AHEM!" Sarah said and glared at Casey. That stopped his talking and with a shrug, he took another bite out of his buffalo wing.

Sarah then turned to Chuck and glared. But not at his face, at his hand. He looked and then realized that he still had Jill's business card in it.

Sarah arched one eyebrow and, unsmiling, held out her hand for the card.

"I wasn't going to call her," he said.

Sarah arched her eyebrow again and still held out her hand for the card.

"No, really, I wasn't going to call her, I promise."

Sarah snapped her fingers twice and still held out her hand for Jill's business card. How anyone could make mere snapping of fingers so commanding and forceful, Chuck would never know. But Sarah managed. He immediately put the card in her hand.

Casey snorted loudly. "You two are so whipped!" he said.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**SECOND JILL SIGHTING**

**18 MONTHS AFTER THE ROAD TRIP**

Ellie parked her car into a space at the Walgreen's lot, opened the car door, got out, slammed the door shut and pressed the "Lock" button on her key chain as she dashed toward the store entrance, not even bothering to wait and make sure that her car "chirped" to confirm that it was locked.

Once inside, her eyes quickly scanned upward and right and left, looking for the sign for the beauty supplies aisle. And upon spotting it, she dashed there and searched the shelves until she spotted what she needed.

Hairspray!

She grabbed one can, two cans, three, four, five, six, gathering them in her arms. Three cans would probably be plenty. But she didn't want to take any chances of their running out again. And as she turned to head to the counter, she struggled to hold onto the six cans. And lost the battle as one escaped and rolled down the aisle. Ellie debated whether or not to chase after it, thinking it would just be quicker to grab another one from the shelf and just go. She hated to leave it on the floor as she always picked up messes that she caused. But she was in a hurry. And this was an emergency. And she didn't have much time.

The decision got made for her when she saw someone pick up the stray can and hand to her.

Ellie hardly glanced at the good Samaritan as she got the other five cans firmly gripped in her left arm and reached out with her right to take the sixth can and then added it to the others. "Thank you!" she said and started to dash off.

"Ellie?"

Then Ellie actually looked at the person. That voice sounded familiar. And the face looked familiar. Who? Oh yes, she did indeed know this person.

"Jill?" she said hesitantly. Yes, her eyes and mind confirmed that it was indeed Jill. _That_ _Jill_.

"Yes! Hey Ellie!" Jill greeted.

Since Ellie now knew about Chuck and Sarah's spy life as they had told her all about it a while ago, including that road trip adventure with Jill and how Jill helped out, Ellie no longer had an overwhelming desire to smash the brunette's face in for what she did to Chuck back in college and after. But while she may not want to kill Jill, she didn't want to be friends with her. All of what she had put Chuck through was still a sore spot with her. And she could tell that Sarah felt much the same as she recalled Sarah's icy expressions when she and Chuck had related that adventure.

"Hello Jill," Ellie replied cordially.

Jill eyed all of the hairspray. "What's with all that? A hair emergency?"

"You could say that. We ran out and I was dispatched to get some more."

"We?"

"Yes," Ellie replied. "All of the bridesmaids and matrons are getting ready for the wedding today and we ran out of hair spray," she explained. And then with a great degree of satisfaction, she added, "We're getting ready for Chuck's wedding."

"Chuck?" Jill said quietly.

"Yes, my brother is getting married today. Getting married to the love of his life."

It pleased Ellie that Jill looked a little sad there for a moment. "Sarah Walker?" she asked.

"Yes!" Ellie enthused.

"I thought as much," Jill said. She then looked up and down at Ellie. "I was wondering why you were dressed so formally. And you look good by the way. Well, you did say you had a hair spray emergency, so I won't keep you. I imagine that you have to get back quickly. Nice seeing you Ellie. Please give Chuck my best." And then she walked away.

Ellie waited until Chuck's ex was out of sight. Then she clenched her fist in triumph. "YES! In your face!" she cheered. Then she dashed toward the checkout counter. She had a wedding to get to!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**THIRD JILL SIGHTING **

**FOUR-AND-A-HALF YEARS AFTER THE ROAD TRIP**

The infant struggled in the woman's arms and started to whine and grabbed at some of the woman's blonde hair.

"Hey! Settle down little girl!" Sarah scolded her daughter. The little girl stopped and looked curiously at her mother. "And what are you getting so anxious for? You think I'm going to forget the Fruit Loops? See? I'm getting them right now."

Sarah balanced her daughter in one arm and reached out to snag a box of Fruit Loops from the grocery store shelf with the other. And then she placed her daughter back in her traveling seat which Sarah had placed in the shopping cart. The young girl looked like she was going to fuss at being back in the seat but Sarah smiled and leaned down and kissed her. "That's my girl! You want your Fruit Loops, don't you? Well so does your father," she said happily. Then she pushed the cart and traveled down the aisle.

"Agent Walker?" a voice behind Sarah inquired.

Sarah tensed. Friend or foe? She wondered. Even though she had been out of the game for a little while, years of field work had honed her senses to always be on the lookout for trouble. She tugged on her purse strap and maneuvered her purse from her side to her front and undid the top and placed her hand down in the bag giving her easy access to her weapon. Then, she turned around and made sure that she was also shielding her daughter when she did.

And found herself face-to-face with a familiar brunette. "Jill," she said flatly.

The former ex, rival and foe looked good. Her hair was shorter since the last time Sarah had seen Jill years ago in that restaurant. But it was perfectly styled. As was the rest of Jill. Everything about Jill looked perfect – her hair, her skin, her clothes. Sarah had to mentally shake off some jealousy and resentment at the brunette. It was no longer necessary, she reminded herself.

"I thought that was you," Jill said. "I saw you turning down this aisle and I had to come over and make sure."

Sarah smiled. "How are you Jill?"

"Good, really good. Things have gone well since…." Her voice trailed off, not mentioning those days on the run. Sarah knew that Jill wasn't lying. Every now and then in the time after, she had checked up on Jill. Thanks to her and Chuck's aid, Jill had gotten her sentence vastly reduced and gotten out of prison less than a year later. And with the NSA's help, she had gotten a job with a major pharmaceutical firm and advanced up the ladder of success.

Before either could say anything else, a small whine erupted from behind Sarah. Sarah instantly turned to her daughter and consoled her. "Hey, hey, it's OK! Mommy's right here!" She looked back at Jill and saw that the brunette's jaw was practically on the floor.

"Agent Walker?" she said in astonishment and shock.

"Actually, it's now Bartowski," Sarah replied with a great deal of satisfaction. "It has been for years!" She held up her left hand and wiggled the engagement ring and wedding band in front of Jill's face. Then she grasped her daughter, held her up and turned toward Jill. "And this is Chuck's and my daughter, Sallie. Sallie, wave hello to Jill here," Sarah said as she gently held Sallie's hand and waved it at the brunette, whose jaw, if it was possible, dropped even further.

"Sallie Bartowski?" Jill finally managed to whisper.

"Mm hmm. Chuck and I have been married for over three years now and Sallie was born about three months ago. Isn't she beautiful?" Sarah gushed and tucked back a stray curl on the infant.

"Sallie?" Jill squeaked.

"Mm hmm. Chuck wanted to name our daughter Sarah after me and I wanted to name her Ellie, after his sister. So we combined the two, the SA in my name and the LLIE in Ellie's name."

"You and Chuck and…." Jill's voice trailed off as she continued to look shocked.

Sarah nodded and couldn't help the huge grin that formed on her lips. And you helped me. You may not realize that but you helped me, she thought. I got Chuck, I got _my_ Chuck and you helped me. Sallie gurgled right at that moment as if to agree with Sarah's thoughts.

"Well, congratulations Agent Wa – Agent Bartowski. Congratulations. Please tell Chuck that I said hello." And then Jill turned and walked away. Sarah watched the woman's retreating form. Then she turned to Sallie who looked at her mother curiously.

"That's your father's trashy ex-girl friend. But we don't talk or think about her much any more Sallie. No, we don't talk or think about her much at all. And why would we? Why would we bother thinking about her at all? Come on, let's head for home. We both want to be with your father!"

**THE END**

_NOTE: OK, that's it for this story. I hope you enjoyed the ride, the "Jill Ride" that is. Please review! It's great to read your comments! Although I have two ideas for Chuck stories, I'm not sure if I'll be doing another story. All I can say at this point is maybe. _

_ANOTHER NOTE: Not to sound like I'm bragging or anything like that, but if anyone would like PDF versions of any of my stories with covers that I have made, for your iPod or computer or whatever, just send me a message. The covers are not anywhere near the quality or greatness of the covers that Frea makes for stories, but they are a little something. Just let me if you're interested._

_AND STILL ANOTHER NOTE: Once again, if you're not reading "Chuck vs The Sound of Music" by quistie64 and "Chuck vs Life, Love & Lies" by uplink2, you're missing out! They are definitely worth reading!_


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